Winemaker Notes
A blend of six different plots, the Meursault "village" of the estate comes from a selection of old vines over 45 years old. The six plots form a set of more than two hectares with plots located all around the village. Some vines are on the hillside - Vireuils and Meix Chavaux - and bring freshness and tension, others at the foot of the hill just under the premier crus, strongly mark the wine by giving them body - Marcausses, Vignes Blanches and Pellans - while the Millerands plot which rests on gravel gives the whole a real finesse.
The estate's Meursault Vieilles Vignes is always very concentrated and requires a few years of maturation under glass before fully delivering. It is vinified and aged exclusively in 228-liter barrels, of which around 20% are new.
It is also an excellent wine to enjoy as an aperitif or with seafood.
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.