Rully Rouge Cuvee Marey 2017, Domaine de la Folie

Domaine de la Folie sit on the hill above Rully and have done for generations. Back when I can get it. Located in Chagny in the north of the Côte Chalonnaise, the estate has 13 hectares of vines including the Rully 1er Cru Clos Saint-Jacques, one of the most prestigious names in the appellation. The estate's wines express the elegance of the appellation, the finesse of our grape varieties (chardonnay and pinot noir), the character of the vintage as well as the freshness, the true signature of Domaine de la Folie. An exciting Domaine reborn. Clémence and Baptiste Dubrulle took over at the Domaine in 2010, but the estate's history goes back three hundred years. It was Clémence's grandfather that really made the reputation of the Domaine as one of the greats in the Côte Chalonnaise in the sixties and seventies. The Domaine fell on hard times and had nearly gone to ruin until Clémence and Baptiste took over and set about restoring it to its former glory. What a turnaround. The Domaine, based in Chagny, stretches over 13 hectares of Rully, two-thirds of which is planted to Chardonnay and one-third Pinot Noir. Viticulture is sustainable, respecting both tradition and the environment, chemical herbicides are avoided and harvest is manual in small cases. The wines, which are from some of the region's finest single vineyards, are aged in steel or with oak barrels up to a maximum of five years-old depending on the cuvée. It's wonderful to see this Domaine fulfilling their potential and showing that of the Rully region for producing, classy, pure wines of huge character. 2017 Vintage Folie goes marching on. Clémence and Baptiste have produced stunning follow-ups to their lovely 2016s. These are everything you could want from Rully. Fresh, pure and with terroir oozing from their pores.?Wines of character and energy. Clémence hails the "exceptional" quality of the vintage describing the whites as "elegant and with citrus and white fruit characteristics" whilst the reds are "round, generous and gourmand. A vintage that undeniably shows Pinot at its best, the limestone soils helped preserve a freshness in this ripe vintage." A great vintage here and a normal crop, their vines narrowly avoiding frost in April. Vintage began on the 2nd September and lasted 6 days. The quality of fruit was "irreproachable" according to Clémence, resulting in arguably the Domaine's greatest wines yet.