When the winemaker is named Olivier Merlin, it'd be easy to make cutesy remarks about what a wizard he must be in the vines or in the cellar. Olivier is immensely talented, with a talent... Read More

When the winemaker is named Olivier Merlin, it'd be easy to make cutesy remarks about what a wizard he must be in the vines or in the cellar. Olivier is immensely talented, with a talent for vine growing, winemaking and real estate acquisitions, but this talent has been hard earned — not magically endowed.

Over many decades, he's toiled in various vineyards across Burgundy, Beaujolais, the Jura and Napa, honing his craft. He's not a Burgundy native, but after he and his wife bought a few hectares in the late '80s, they've come to love and cherish their land, and respect it like one would their ancestral homeland.

Monsieur Merlin's wines are classic Burgundy in more ways that one. Stylistically, they tick all the boxes we want: excellent minerality, fine tannins, depth and concentration. Price-wise, they harken back to the days when you could pick up a bottle of Bourgogne rouge or Mâcon, pop it open and enjoy it as an aperitif or with dinner, without sticker shock or buyer's remorse.

The whites are fermented and aged in mostly stainless steel, to maximize freshness and fruit purity (although a small percentage, 10% or so, is aged in old, neutral barrels for texture), and the reds are made and aged in old wooden casks and barrels