Winemaker Notes
Wines from Meursault are typified by aromas and flavors of ripe melon, hazelnut, and lemon custard, and tend to be broader and more textural than wines from neighboring villages. Aging in 30-35% percent small French oak barrels lends notes of toast and vanilla.
White Burgundy, with its richness, texture, and toasted flavors pairs well with light fish and shellfish and can counterbalance cream-based sauces. Oak-aged Chardonnay from warmer climates lends itself well to grilled fish, starches, butter, and toasted nuts.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2023 Meursault Les Charmes 1er Cru has a delineated bouquet of crushed stone, light sea spray notes, yellow plum and clementine. The palate is well balanced with a taut line of acidity, perhaps just needing a little more concentration to come through on the finish—but that should develop in the remainder of its élevage. Very fine.
Barrel Sample: 92-94 -
Jasper Morris
Medium yellow, not really a massive nose, though it builds, with discretion. A little more orchard fruit and flesh arrives on the palate, with a really fine backbone, so I expect this to develop well further down the line.
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Wine Spectator
A creamy, charming style, whose peach, lemon, butterscotch and mineral flavors are wrapped in toasty oak and baking spices. In the end, this is elegant and persistent, echoing both fruit and well-integrated oak elements.
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.