Winemaker Notes
The Domaine has in total 10 hectares of vineyards spread across various locations of the Côte de Beaune including Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, Auxey-Duresses and Pommard. From 1997 to 2007 the Domaine acquired more parcels of land giving them a wider selection of appellations including Meursault "Les Tillets", Meursault 1er Cru "Les Perrieres", and Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru "Le Cailleret".
The vines and soil give the wine its great quality which is why it is important to manage them with both respect and care. To ensure that the wine produced is of high quality, traditional methods are used involving little or no product (sprays, chemicals, etc.) soil cultivation, crop care, green harvest, and hand picking. Using these old fashioned methods and less machinery allows for the wines to develop naturally which means they are very similar to organic wine making, however they don't have the 'Bio' label.
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.
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.