The history of this domaine began in 1987 when the owner, Olivier Meuran, who studied winemaking in the Jura and California, purchased and inherited the historic Domaine des Vieux Saint-Sorlin in the Mâcon region, which has been in operation since the Middle Ages.
The Macon region is located at a higher altitude than the Côte d'Or, and the vineyards, which are located on steep slopes, are characterized by strong winds.
In the Macon region, 95% of producers spray herbicides and harvest manually, but from the beginning to the present, Merlan has never used chemical fertilizers or herbicides and instead plows its fields frequently.
This is one of the few domaines that selects fully ripe, healthy grapes and harvests them by hand.
Grapes grown on windy slopes are less susceptible to pests, so there is no need to spray pesticides.
The grapes are harvested in small boxes to avoid damaging them before fermentation, and then the grapes are sorted again on a selection table and quickly placed in fermentation tanks for fermentation.
Chardonnay is fully fermented, Pinot Noir is 100% de-stemmed (Gamay is whole-cluster fermented).
Complete malolactic fermentation, no collage and bottled unfiltered or with minimal filtration.
By meticulously crafting his wines by hand, Olivier has confirmed his position as a leader among the Maconnais region's high quality wineries.
Olivier, who has known the Mâconnais region since long before the winemakers of the Côte d'Or set foot in the region, has had many aspiring winemakers come to him as trainees, including Raphaël, the fourth-generation head of Domaine Coche-Dury.
Master of Wine Jasper Morris has also cited Olivier as one of the Maconnais region's finest winemakers.
In addition, in 2012, he founded a new winery, Chateau des Cars, together with Mr. Dominique, the owner of Comte Lafon, a top Meursault domaine.
His two sons, Theo and Paul, have now joined the domaine, and expectations are high for further improvements in quality in the future.
[The unique characteristics of the Macon region according to Domaine Merlan] ● Macon La Roche Vineuse: Minerality, saltiness, freshness ● Pouilly-Fuissé: Long finish, strength, long-term aging type ● Saint-Veran: Feminine, smooth, fruity