Winemaker Notes
The 2018 Beaune Les Perrières 1er Cru comes from the domaine’s most limestone-rich vineyard and is made with one-third whole cluster. It has an attractive bouquet of raspberry, black currant and light floral aromas that gently unfold in the glass. The medium-bodied palate delivers crunchy tannins. A little rigid at the moment, with a correct, linear finish that just needs a little more flesh to develop by the time of bottling. My feeling is that this will be a long-term Beaune.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
The pick of Domaine de Montille's impressive range of white Premiers Crus in 2018, this is a stylish rendition of what many people consider Meursault's best terroir. Pear, apple and citrus fruit flavours are embellished by scented oak, racy acidity and stony intensity. Floral and crunchy, this shows the benefits of early harvesting in a warm year.
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.