2021 Meursault, Chevalières, Château de Charodon, Burgundy

2021 Meursault, Chevalières, Château de Charodon, Burgundy

Product: 20218164722
Prices start from £93.00 per bottle (75cl). Buying options
2021 Meursault, Chevalières, Château de Charodon, Burgundy

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About this WINE

Charodon

Charodon

Located just five minutes from Beaune, Charodon is the project of Louis Vallet, his brother Thibault, and their father, Bernard. The Vallet family is from Gevrey-Chambertin, where Bernard is still part-owner of the successful Pierre Bourrée estate. However, Louis decided to take a different direction. He lived the life of a flying winemaker for many years, producing two vintages each year: one in Burgundy and one in the Southern Hemisphere. He gained experience from Pascal Marchand. Louis made his first vintage at Château de Charodon—1,200 bottles in 2010—and by 2021, he was producing more than ten times that volume.

While Louis stands to inherit several hectares from the family holdings, these are currently rented out on long-term contracts. Production comes from a mix of purchased fruit and farming contracts. This is a hugely exciting project, and we are delighted to be a part of it.

Louis’ production is growing quickly to keep up with demand, and he has made 42,000 bottles this year. The biggest challenge is perhaps renovating the buildings around the château to create more space for tanks and barrels. While always optimistic, Louis is much happier with the 2022 vintage than the 2021s. Last year, he missed several cuvées because he couldn’t secure enough fruit. However, the ’22 vintage has allowed him to produce his full range of wines and add new lines.

Louis has made the kind of wines he loves in both colours: forward, fruit-driven, and generous. Like him, these wines wear their heart on their sleeve.

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Meursault

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.

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When is a wine ready to drink?

We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.

Not ready

These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.

Ready - youthful

These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.

Ready - at best

These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.

Ready - mature

These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.