Winemaker Notes
With a round structure and aromas and flavors of honey, fern and amber, this wine is very expressive of its terroir. It will develop in the bottle for 10 to 15 years.
Serve with poached or cream-sauce fish or shellfish, pâtés and ripe firm cheeses.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Another strong performer is the 2021 Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières (Domaine Louis Jadot), a medium to full-bodied, satiny and chiseled wine redolent of pear, freshly baked bread, Meyer lemon and toasted nuts. With racy acids and a long, saline finish, it's structured and concentrated, produced from low yields.
Barrel Sample: 92-94 -
Vinous
The 2021 Meursault Les Perrières 1er Cru has the most reduction on the nose of the three Premier Crus, and as such, it is difficult to read the terroir. The palate is well balanced with fine acidity, again, a little reductive, but there is certainly plenty of concentration here. It will probably require three to four years in bottle, so be patient.
Barrel Sample: 91-93
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.