Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
This is round, defined by lively acidity and a briny, mineral note. Lemon cake and apple flavors are present, along with a touch of spice. Comes together nicely on the lingering finish. Best from 2020 through 2025.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2017 Meursault Les Chevalierès is pure class and has a crystalline, rivetingly focused style that builds with time in the glass. White flowers, white peach, hints of citrus pith, and a beautiful salty, flinty minerality all emerge from the glass and it gains additional richness as it sits in the glass. Medium-bodied, elegant, and seamless on the palate, it shines for it purity of fruit and elegance. The only complaint is that is drops off slightly on the finish. Nevertheless, it’s a beautiful, beautiful wine.
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Wine & Spirits
The toasty, nutty richness of Meursault develops out of a wine that’s initially austere, almost fierce. It mellows from green apple and bitter almond to cool, juicy flavors and lemony freshness. Concentrated, this will be at its best with two or three years in the bottle.
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.