The classic Mercurey wine is deeper in color, more full-bodied and also longer-lived than its counterparts from the other Chalonnaise communes. This is the result not only of the excellent terroir, but also of the more quality-focused appellation laws. The maximum yield for crops here is closer to the stringent regulations of the Côte de Nuits and the Côte de Beaune than it is to the slightly more relaxed rules that apply to the rest of the Chalonnaise.

The Mercurey appellation was created in 1936 and covers the wines of Mercurey itself, plus those of neighboring Saint-Martin-sous-Montaigu. Mercurey is by far the most prolific of the five Chalonnaise communal appellations, producing more wine than its neighbors Rully and Givry combined (approximately 3,000,000 liters). This large output comes from a dense patchwork of vineyards covering around 650 hectares (1600 acres) of rolling limestone hillsides.

Mercurey’s climate is considered to be of continental type, with warm, long summers and relatively dry fall months, making for an excellent growing season and harvest. The only threat to local viticulture is the particularly cool winters, which can often last longer than in neighboring areas. Although in general Mercurey is supposedly warmer than more northerly communes, the appellation’s hilly topography and slightly increased altitude moderate the temperatures, allowing the wines to retain a certain freshness.

Around a quarter of Mercurey’s vineyards are classified as premier cru, accounting for 30 officially recognized and delimited climats. Wines from these sites may append their vineyard names to the Mercurey Premier Cru appellation title. The current list of Mercurey Premier Crus is the product of several reviews, carried out in 1990, 1997 and 2003. The crus are required to meet slightly more stringent conditions than the appellation’s other wines – namely a higher level of alcohol (+0.5 percent) and a higher minimum level of grape ripeness (+8 percent) before harvest. Final alcohol levels of up to 14 percent are permitted, although very few Mercurey wines ever reach this strength.

Mercurey does indeed take its name from the Roman god Mercury, in his capacity as god of trade. This reflects the location of the village on the Agrippa road which lined Chalon-sur-Saône to Autun through the Roman period.