Winemaker Notes
Whole-cluster pressing, light settling before transfer to oak barrel (300L), indigenous yeast fermentation. Aged for 12 months in barrel, fined and/or filtered if necessary.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
A racy, steely style of Meursault, with energy and definition to its flavors of lemon, apple, hazelnut and stone. Verging on austere on the finish, this nonetheless remains persistent and resonant. Best from 2022 through 2027.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Meursault 1er Cru Le Poruzot reveals a pretty bouquet of pear, peach, blanched almonds and flowers. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, with ripe acids, chewy structuring extract and good length on the finish. Like most of these 2018 whites, this will also show well young.
Range: 90-92
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.