Winemaker Notes
In the vineyards, the rootstock is a mix of massal and clonal selection. Total yields are between 40 and 50 hectoliters per hectare, depending on the vintage.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
The sample of Charmes that I tasted from barrel was more marked by oak than the other Lafon wines, but this Premier Cru white is often a little backward at this stage, with its fruit emerging over time. This has notes of orange zest, struck match and lemon peel, good underlying balance and some toasty, vanilla spicy overtones. Just be patient here.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Meursault 1er Cru Charmes is also showing very well, revealing aromas of pear, crisp yellow orchard fruit, fresh peach, almond paste and white flowers, followed by a medium to full-bodied, satiny and muscular palate that's deep, concentrated and structured, with more texture and a more introverted profile than the more expressive Genevrières. This is another great bottle in the making.
Barrel Sample: 93-95 -
Jasper Morris
Pale fresh colour. Lighter bouquet, quite a racy style of Charmes. Some floral notes. A little orange blossom, good acidity, an interesting wine which finishes very well.
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.