2019 Meursault, Sous La Velle, Anne Boisson, Burgundy
Critics reviews
Notes of peach, pear, white flowers and toasted nuts introduce the 2019 Meursault Sous la Velle, a medium to full-bodied, fleshy and charming wine that’s seamless and enveloping, girdled by lively acids and concluding with a saline finish.
This is drinking well out of the gates.
As ever, the bearded Bernard Boisson presided over my annual tasting in the usual, refreshingly old-school manner, offering splashes from various bottles, some open for several days and some for my benefit. As readers will remember, Bernard’s holdings have been entirely divided between his son Pierre and daughter Anne.
On this visit, Boisson père explained that Pierre and Anne operate separately though cooperatively (Pierre taking care of all the tractor work in the vineyards) and vinify in their way—though the two labels’ styles are undeniably more similar than different. As I understood, Bernard is an unlikely business manager for the duo, hosting tastings and managing the wines’ distribution.
As I’ve written before, in his day, Bernard Boisson was one of the village’s latest harvesters, and his wines only spent a year on the lees, with much of the production sold to the négociants. Pierre’s arrival at the Domaine some 15 years ago changed dramatically: The domain has returned, as Bernard puts it, to do things as they were done in his grandfather’s era.
That means earlier harvesting, little débourbage, long sur lie élevage ranging from 19 to 22 months and restrained use of new oak—up to 30%, mainly from Saint-Romain’s Tonnellerie Gillet, recognizable for the toasty, nutty patina that it imparts (Gillet barrels also dominate chez Niellon in Chassagne-Montrachet). The entire production is now bottled without filtration under natural cork.
Drink 2021 - 2035
William Kelley, Wine Advocate (January 2022)
About this WINE
Domaine Boisson-Vadot
Domaine Boisson-Vadot, run by father and son team of Bernard and Pierre Boisson, is one of the rising stars in Mersault. The philosophy of the Domaine revolves around careful, hands-on vineyard management to coax the greatest potential of each vintage out of the various plots, and low-impact winemaking in the cellars that allows the unique terroir of each vineyard to surface. New oak is very minimal, no more than 30% for the top cuvées, and much more restraint in the village wines and in Bourgogne Blanc.
Pierre Boisson produces a village Meursault from his grandmother’s vineyards (50 year old vines in the lieu-dits of Criots and Perchots) that is hailed an model wine for the appellation. The Domaine also crafts other bottlings, from three of the best lieux à dits in Meursault: Sous la Velle , Grands Charrons (planted in 1988) and Chevalières (planted in 1982). The Grands Charrons is the most expressive, intensely flavoured of the three. The Sous la Velle is a more elegant version of the Grand Charrons. The Chevalières is the most mineral-driven, with a more restraint fruit flavours in its youth but great ageing potential- More like premier crus than village wines. Finally, Boisson-Vadot makes a powerful yet charming Meursault Genevrières premier cru.
Meursault
There are more top producers in Meursault than in any other commune of the Côte d’Or. Certainly it is the most famous and popular of the great white appellations. Its wines are typically rich and savoury with nutty, honeyed hints and buttery, vanilla spice from the oak.
Even though it is considerably larger than its southerly neighbours Chassagne and Puligny, Meursault contains no Grands Crus. Its three best Premiers Crus, however – Les Perrières, Les Genevrières and Les Charmes – produce some of the region’s greatest whites: they are full, round and powerful, and age very well. Les Perrières in particular can produce wines of Grand Cru quality, a fact that is often reflected in its price. Meursault has also been one of the driving forces of biodynamic viticulture in the region, as pioneered by Lafon and Leflaive.Many of the vineyards below Premier Cru, known as ‘village’ wines, are also well worth looking at. The growers vinify their different vineyard holdings separately, which rarely happens in Puligny or Chassagne. Such wines can be labelled with the ‘lieu-dit’ vineyard alongside (although in smaller type to) the Meursault name.
Premier Cru Meursault should be enjoyed from five to 15 years of age, although top examples can last even longer. Village wines, meanwhile, are normally at their best from three to 10 years.
Very occasionally, red Meursault is produced with some fine, firm results. The best red Pinot Noir terroir, Les Santenots, is afforded the courtesy title of Volnay Santenots, even though it is actually in Meursault.
- 305 hectares of village Meursault. The best vineyards include Clos de la Barre, Tesson, Chevalières, Rougeot, Narvaux
- 132 hectares of Premier Cru vineyards (17 in all). The finest vineyards include Les Perrières, Les Genevrières and Les Charmes
- Recommended producers: Comte Lafon, Arnaud Ente, Coche Dury, Guy Roulot, Jean-Philippe Fichet, Patrick Javillier, François Jobard, Michel Bouzereau
- Recommended restaurant: Le Chevreuil
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is often seen as the king of white wine grapes and one of the most widely planted in the world It is suited to a wide variety of soils, though it excels in soils with a high limestone content as found in Champagne, Chablis, and the Côte D`Or.
Burgundy is Chardonnay's spiritual home and the best White Burgundies are dry, rich, honeyed wines with marvellous poise, elegance and balance. They are unquestionably the finest dry white wines in the world. Chardonnay plays a crucial role in the Champagne blend, providing structure and finesse, and is the sole grape in Blanc de Blancs.
It is quantitatively important in California and Australia, is widely planted in Chile and South Africa, and is the second most widely planted grape in New Zealand. In warm climates Chardonnay has a tendency to develop very high sugar levels during the final stages of ripening and this can occur at the expense of acidity. Late picking is a common problem and can result in blowsy and flabby wines that lack structure and definition.
Recently in the New World, we have seen a move towards more elegant, better- balanced and less oak-driven Chardonnays, and this is to be welcomed.
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Description
Notes of peach, pear, white flowers and toasted nuts introduce the 2019 Meursault Sous la Velle, a medium to full-bodied, fleshy and charming wine that’s seamless and enveloping, girdled by lively acids and concluding with a saline finish.
This is drinking well out of the gates.
As ever, the bearded Bernard Boisson presided over my annual tasting in the usual, refreshingly old-school manner, offering splashes from various bottles, some open for several days and some for my benefit. As readers will remember, Bernard’s holdings have been entirely divided between his son Pierre and daughter Anne.
On this visit, Boisson père explained that Pierre and Anne operate separately though cooperatively (Pierre taking care of all the tractor work in the vineyards) and vinify in their way—though the two labels’ styles are undeniably more similar than different. As I understood, Bernard is an unlikely business manager for the duo, hosting tastings and managing the wines’ distribution.
As I’ve written before, in his day, Bernard Boisson was one of the village’s latest harvesters, and his wines only spent a year on the lees, with much of the production sold to the négociants. Pierre’s arrival at the Domaine some 15 years ago changed dramatically: The domain has returned, as Bernard puts it, to do things as they were done in his grandfather’s era.
That means earlier harvesting, little débourbage, long sur lie élevage ranging from 19 to 22 months and restrained use of new oak—up to 30%, mainly from Saint-Romain’s Tonnellerie Gillet, recognizable for the toasty, nutty patina that it imparts (Gillet barrels also dominate chez Niellon in Chassagne-Montrachet). The entire production is now bottled without filtration under natural cork.
Drink 2021 - 2035
William Kelley, Wine Advocate (January 2022)
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