Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Arnaud Ente is invariably the first producer to start picking in Meursault and it shows in the pithy, chiselled, tightly wound style of many of his wines. This comes from two parcels in the village, vinified as four separate cuvées, and is spicy, leesy and bracingly crisp with lovely oak handling and a racy, almost mouth-watering finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Meursault Village opens in the glass with notes of crisp Anjou pear, white flowers, mandarin oil, bread dough and beeswax. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and incisive, it's lively and precise, with a delicate but tightly wound core and a bright, mineral finish. As usual, this cuvée derives from two lieux-dits: En l'Ormeau on the plain (which is also the source of Ente's Clos des Ambres and Sève du Clos bottlings) and Les Casse-Têtes on the hillside, the vines having been planted in 1952-1953 and 1998, respectively.
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.