Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Meursault 1er Cru Charmes is superb, unfurling in the glass with aromas of crisp peaches, apples, dried white flowers, honeycomb and oatmeal. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, satiny and pure, with a deep, concentrated and multidimensional core, vibrant acids and a long finish. There's plenty of tight-knit structure and dry extract here, so this should be a long-lived Charmes.
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Decanter
The Charmes is excellent in 2016, with an expressive nose of spring flowers, yellow orchard fruit, honey, almond and hazelnut. On the palate the wine is deep and concentrated, with almost chewy extract and a lovely sense of completeness. Its acids are fresh and racy, and the finish is long and palate-staining. This has the balance to drink rather well out of the gates as well as develop nicely in the cellar.
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.