Winemaker Notes
Bitouzet works a 0.71-hectare parcel of vines in the lieu-dit Les Herbeaux in northern Meursault, adjacent to premier cru Les Malpoiriers, and planted in the early 1950s (with a portion replanted in 2010). Aged 12 months on its fine lees in 228-liter barrels, a maximum of 15% of which are new, the domaine's Bourgogne Blanc presents as a Meursault in miniature, with sneaky power, pronounced salinity, and a tightly coiled structure that rewards a few years of cellaring. A fresh, direct wine that combines the varietal typicity of Cote d'Or Chardonnay with the broad richness typical of Meursault.
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.
The most acclaimed region of Burgundy, the Côte d’Or is defined by a long, limestone escarpment beneath the ground's surface and is home to all of Burgundy’s most famous wines. While Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are produced throughout the Côte d’Or, the north tends to excel at Pinot Noir and the south, at Chardonnay.
The northern half of the Côte d’Or is called the Côte de Nuits. Here reside most of the Pinot noir Grands Crus vineyards of Burgundy—the only one farther south, in Côte de Beaune, is Aloxe-Corton.
The Côte de Beaune is the center all of the Chardonnay Grands Crus with the exception of Le Musingy, found in Chambolle-Musigny in the Côte de Nuits, which produces both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with Grand Cru status.