Domaine du Meix-Foulot

Domaine du Meix-Foulot is an eight-generation estate located in the Mercurey appellation of the Côte Chalonnaise. The de Launay family has managed the property for more than two centuries, establishing it as one of the most consistent family names in the sub-region. Paul de Launay took over the management in the 1960s and was responsible for shifting the estate’s focus toward estate-bottling a significant portion of its production. His daughter, Agnès Dewé de Launay, joined the domaine in the mid-1990s and took full control in 1996, serving as both the owner and head winemaker. Under her leadership, the estate has combined traditional family methods with modern environmental standards.

The estate manages twenty hectares of vines situated high on a hill overlooking the village of Mercurey. These vineyards are primarily planted with Pinot Noir, supplemented by a small amount of Chardonnay. A defining feature of their holdings is the 1.9-hectare monopole, Clos du Château de Montaigu, where vines date back as far as 1955. The soils consist of diverse clay, limestone, and marl compositions which provide varying expressions across their parcels. The domaine received Level 3 High Environmental Value certification in 2022, reflecting a commitment to ecological health through practices like Guyot Poussard pruning and green harvesting. Manual labor is emphasized in the vineyard, and the estate was among the first in the region to adopt green harvesting to rigorously control yields.

Winemaking at the domaine emphasizes structural integrity and long-term aging potential. For the red wines, the grapes are entirely destemmed and undergo a short cold maceration for approximately forty-eight hours before fermentation with natural yeasts. The Premier Cru wines typically age for eighteen to twenty months in oak barrels, with approximately twenty to thirty percent new wood used to maintain fruit purity. The flagship bottling is the Mercurey Premier Cru Clos du Château de Montaigu, which is recognized for its balance and complexity. Other notable wines include the Premier Crus Les Veleys and Les Saumonts, alongside a limited production of Mercurey Blanc. The estate’s reputation for quality was recently highlighted when Agnès Dewé de Launay was named Producer of the Year for 2023 by Bourgogne Aujourd'hui magazine.