L'Hôtellerie du Val d'Or ***
Mercurey in Burgundy

Mercurey owes its name to a temple dedicated to Mercury, the god of commerce. With the slopes behind it and stretching out along the Or valley, which lives up to its name, Mercury is a central location from where the Morvan and the Saône can be seen. The appellation Mercurey also extends to the wines of the two neighbouring villages: Bourgneuf-Val-d'Or and Saint-Martin-sous-Montaigu.

The wine region covers more than 600 hectares and produces about 30 premier crus, 24 in Mercurey and 5 in St-Martin-sous-Montaigu. The white wines (accounting for only 5% of the appellation) are an attractive pale gold colour with green reflections. The reds have a deep shimmering ruby robe, with a bouquet of very concentrated red fruit and hints of spices.