Winemaker Notes
This rare white is within the Volnay AOC yet since it is Chardonnay it is Meursault and sits along and below Les Caillerets - an exposed, rocky patch of limestone – what a glorious inaugural release: full-throttle yet mineral-driven, a happy honey-citrus blend.
Professional Ratings
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Jasper Morris
Half young vines, half 50+. Also a fullish yellow. Some baked apple on the nose, but less oxidative than the St-Aubin. Yellow plums with the apples, slightly lower acidity but actually quite a graceful wine in its generous style, with persistence. Drink from 2027-2032.
Barrel Sample: 91-93 -
Vinous
The 2023 Meursault Les Santenots 1er Cru has a light nose of clementine and yellow fruit, a little straight-laced compared to some of its peers. The palate is slightly honeyed on the entry, with a keen thread of acidity to counter the richness that is probably a result of the late-summer heat. Candied orange peel commingles with stem ginger towards the finish. Enjoy over the next decade.
Barrel Sample: 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.