Winemaker Notes
Ballot-Millot Meursault is aromatic and round, with notes of stone fruit, citrus, and vibrant acidity.
Professional Ratings
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Jasper Morris
This is a blend of Pelles, Corbins, Peutes Vignes and Chaumes de Narvaux. It is showing a little bit of reduction but underneath there is a firm bright fruit. Racy, dancing but also with layers of tension. The detail needs time to show, but this is promising.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Meursault Village is a blend of lieux-dits Les Pelles (below the premiers crus) and Chaumes des Narvaux (below Narvaux and above the premiers crus) with Les Corbins and Les Peutes Vignes (which touch Les Santenots). Offering up aromas of pear, green apple, peach and oatmeal, framed by a light touch of reduction, the wine is medium to full-bodied, nicely concentrated and tight-knit, with good structuring extract and back-end grip. This is a fine cuvée that's a touch old-fashioned in the best sense.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
Known to offer a magical balance of smoothness and freshness, Meursault's quality is hard to rival. The village lies in the middle of Côte de Beaune, just south of Volnay. Meursault is said to mean “mouse’s jump” because in the past the plots producing Pinot Noir and those producing Chardonnay were no more than a mouse’s jump from one another. Today the village is almost exclusively Chardonnay. A tiny bit of Pinot Noir is produced here with the best coming from Les Santenots on its northern side near Volnay.
While there are no Grands Crus, Meursault’s numerous acclaimed Premiers Crus can compete with any other top-notch white Burgundy. Some to know are Les Perrières, Les Genevrières, Les Charmes, Le Poruzot, Les Bouchères and Les Gouttes d’Or.
Meursault produces outstanding village level wines as well. In general great Premiers Crus and even village level Meursault (Chardonnay) have enticing aromas of lime peel, tropical fruit, crushed rocks, spice and hazelnut. On the palate there is a wonderful balance of brightness and a seductive length with flavors of white peach, pineapple and citrus.