Vézelay

Wine
Characteristics

Vézelay wines are pale golden yellow in color. On the nose, they offer floral notes of acacia, grape, lemon, pear, and peach, with hints of hawthorn, grapefruit, brioche, and almond. In the mouth, the attack is supple and fruity, underscored by citrusy tension. The length is marked by a limestone and saline minerality with fresh notes of licorice and menthol.

Wine
Steward’s Tip

The citrusy suppleness and vigor of these wines makes them perfect for a convivial tasting. As an aperitif or with a starter, they bring a boost to tartares, gravlax, smoked fish, and seafood. They are also great with sophisticated cold cuts, like rabbit pâté, parslied ham, and salami.
They bring a refined minerality to roasted cod, sautéed scallops, or a simple sea bream en papillote.
Some cuvées aged in oak also make a fine accompaniment to chicken in creamy sauce, pan-fried mushrooms, or fish with spicy sauces.
As for cheese, serve with goat and hard cheeses, and creamier ones such as Brillat-Savarin or Chaource.
Serving temperature: 11 to 13°C.
 

Situation

The vineyard of Vézelay is located on either side of the River Cure, a tributary of the Yonne. There have been vines here since Roman times, at the end of the first century AD. At its peak, in the 18th century, the vines here covered some 500 hectares, but the outbreak of phylloxera in 1884 almost wiped them out completely. By the end of the 1960s, just a couple of hectares under vine remained. But in 1973, a dozen or so willing winemakers took up the baton and Vézelay underwent a renaissance, and its reputation is now growing. Currently, there are 70 hectares planted with vines, and more than 180 hectares more available for the appellation to grow into over the coming years.

Terroirs

The Cure Valley is bordered to the west by a hillside notched out by a series of small parallel valleys, and characterized by a succession of large rocky outcrops, dominated by that of Vézelay. The vines face south/southeast and grow at between 190-330m above sea level. The average annual temperature is 10.7°C with average precipitation of 732mm. The subsoil is made up of marl and limestone laid down over 15 million years during the Jurassic period.

Bourgogne Vézelay, as seen by Matthieu Woillez 

Appellations Régionales, explained by Jean-Pierre Renard