Meursault

Our 2017 Meursault comes from a selection of vineyards from across the village, including the well-regarded Murgers de Monthélie and Les Clous. Raised completely in oak barrels to give smoky aromas and the hallmark buttered toast notes of classic Meursault, this wine has broad shoulders and rich stone-fruit flavours which are complemented by a racy, saline finish.
Adam Bruntlett, Wine Buyer

This wine comes from some of the best village vineyards in Meursault; Clous, Narvaux, Limozin, Crotots and Criots, with two-thirds on the slope and a third on the flat. The nose has a classy touch of reduction, while the palate is initially quite creamy and juicy before finishing with grip and vigorous, precise acidity. Drink 2022-2027.

Jean-Philippe explained how he and his vineyard team had to work extremely hard in the aftermath of the 2016 frost, managing the vines to make sure that the following year’s growth would not be compromised. Meticulous marathonrunner Jean-Philippe is just the man for such an arduous task. He is delighted with the results, explaining that quality is excellent and the yield was neither too big, nor too small. These wines are as reliably fresh and precise as you would expect, with each vineyard’s character shining through.

At 1.5 hectares, this is the domaine’s largest holding of Chardonnay, from a site between the village and the Santenots vineyards. The nose offers some spicy vanilla oak (20 percent new) along with white stonefruit touches. The palate has a charming balance of broad stone-fruit and intense freshness which is driven by a persistent acidity running from start to finish. Elegant for a low-slope Meursault. Drink  2021-2027.

François is keen to highlight the importance of the solidarity shown by the Côte’s vignerons at the end of April, when everyone came together to burn dampened bales and create cloud cover to ward off the frost. Without such action this could well have been another catastrophic yield. Having avoided this threat, the rest of the season was fairly straightforward with careful vineyard management and harvest began on the 30th August. He feels the whites are a mix of 2015 and 2014, while the reds are pretty and will drink well from an early age.

There was a concern that the 70 percent reduction in volume last year would result in a compensatory big harvest this year, but this was not the case, with a normal crop without intervention. The vineyard, just to the north of the village, is rich in clay, so no new  oak is used, and the wine is fulsome and assertive.  Drink 2021-2025.

Since our visit last year, Patrick’s dream of an appellation exclusively for generic wines from the Côte d’Or has been realised and the label of the estate’s estimable Cuvée Oligocène proudly announces its new status. For 2017, Patrick’s daughter Marion explained, they didn’t need to keep too much of the lees, as the musts were already rich and they preferred to use bâtonnage for complexity. Harvesting began on 28th August and Marion feels there is a purer expression of terroir this year than last.

Meix sous le Château is a mostly alluvial site with some stony parts, but in general it offers a relatively generous style of Meursault, with plenty of fresh butter, vanilla and caramel notes on the nose. The palate is rich with a butterscotch finish. This is proper Meursault. Drink 2022-2027.

Jean-Philippe explained how he and his vineyard team had to work extremely hard in the aftermath of the 2016 frost, managing the vines to make sure that the following year’s growth would not be compromised. Meticulous marathonrunner Jean-Philippe is just the man for such an arduous task. He is delighted with the results, explaining that quality is excellent and the yield was neither too big, nor too small. These wines are as reliably fresh and precise as you would expect, with each vineyard’s character shining through.

The nose here is closed with a little lime verbena peeping out from in amongst the smoky reduction. Always the most austere of the domaine’s white wines, the immediate impression is acidity, along with lemon and lime. Sleek, precise and saline, this is tight and closed but will gain in breadth. Drink 2022-2028.

François is keen to highlight the importance of the solidarity shown by the Côte’s vignerons at the end of April, when everyone came together to burn dampened bales and create cloud cover to ward off the frost. Without such action this could well have been another catastrophic yield. Having avoided this threat, the rest of the season was fairly straightforward with careful vineyard management and harvest began on the 30th August. He feels the whites are a mix of 2015 and 2014, while the reds are pretty and will drink well from an early age.

Olivier Leflaive took over management of the  vineyard in 2016, a site and wine which elicits genuine excitement from Franck. The walled vineyard is situated in the village on heavier soil, which provides classic Meursault breadth, while the Leflaive style ensures that the finish is mineral and precise. Welljudged oak adds some toast and grip. Drink 2022-2027.

After studying at business school, Olivier Leflaive headed to Paris to live a rather bohemian life during the 1970s, working in music and television. He returned to Burgundy in 1981 to manage Domaine Leflaive with his uncle Vincent and later his cousin Anne-Claude. Having long aspired to work for himself, he set up his own négociant business in 1984 and, upon leaving the family domaine a decade later, he gave 15 years’ notice that he would take back his share of the family vines from 2009. Experienced winemaker Franck Grux now makes between 85 and 90 different cuvées, vinifying the equivalent of 120 hectares, of which 17 are estate. The focus here is on elegance and finesse over power. 

Franck emphasised the importance of removing excess shoots and buds on the vine early in the season to ensure yields did not become excessive, a practice he encouraged his growers to follow. The results are evident in the wines, which display wonderful concentration and texture, generosity in the mid-palate, precise, direct fruit and a sapid acidity. The excellent natural balance of the wines made vinification relatively straightforward and has yielded wines which Franck describes as “serious” and, in many respects, comparable to the 2014s. Unless otherwise stated, all wines are domaine.

This higher vineyard above the village, southeast- facing, was entirely frost-free this year. W hen we tasted, it was showing as quite fresh, but there is plenty of substance here, and the 33 percent new oak is not evident, boding well for the future. The finish is equally promising, with some excellent Meursault detail emerging.
Drink 2019-2024.
Adam Bruntlett, Burgundy Buyer

The Javilliers have been involved in the wine business for generations as courtiers. When Patrick started out in 1974 this was the main source of his income, alongside which he worked three hectares of vineyards. His courtier days are now long behind him, and his domaine covers nine hectares. Recently, Patrick has been joined by his daughter Marion and her brother-in-law Pierre- Emmanuel Lamy. Patrick is not far away from 50 vintages; Marion is now making the estate’s red wines, and Pierre-Emmanuel largely does the whites – not that Patrick is taking a back seat. As always, conversation with him is peppered with observations; indeed he has been closely involved in the discussions to create a new generic Côte d’Or appellation, a move that would appear to now just need a rubber stamp. There wasn’t too much frost damage here and harvesting began on 20th September; Patrick observes that the character of the vintage is one that can take a bit more bâtonnage than usual.

Raised 50/50 in 600ltr and 228ltr barrels, with 15% new oak. Pale lemon in colour, the initial nose has much promise, with a lovely touch of noble reduction. A blend of Casse Têtes and Petits Charrons, the palate has an enjoyable chewiness and a touch of peach fruit. There is lovely weight here, nice volume and texture in the mouth, but with tension and nervy freshness. Drink 2019-2024.  
Adam Bruntlett, Wine Buyer

The balance of Patrick’s well-established blend of two lieux-dits, Les Clous, which sits beside Les Tillets, and Les Crotots, which is lower and below the Premier  Cru Poruzots, is back to normal, with the latter back  to contributing one-third. This is composed and compact, with good acidity and fine minerality. Drink 2021-2025.

Since our visit last year, Patrick’s dream of an appellation exclusively for generic wines from the Côte d’Or has been realised and the label of the estate’s estimable Cuvée Oligocène proudly announces its new status. For 2017, Patrick’s daughter Marion explained, they didn’t need to keep too much of the lees, as the musts were already rich and they preferred to use bâtonnage for complexity. Harvesting began on 28th August and Marion feels there is a purer expression of terroir this year than last.

Initially offered as “Sur le Coteau” in 2016, this wine comes from the climats of Casse-Tête, Les Petits Charrons (both from Château de Puligny) and Narvaux du Dessous (from De Montille). These three terroirs are perfectly sited in the middle of the hillside of Meursault, also known as the Montagne St Christophe. This class shines through, with perfect weight, bright acidity and a long, fine finish. Drink 2022-2028.

Winemaker Brian Sieve draws comparisons between the white wines of 2017 and 2014, explaining that the texture, weight and freshness are very similar in both years, although 2017 has perhaps a little more fruit ripeness, along with excellent tension and persistence. He believes that this same freshness and brightness in the reds will provide ageing capacity, pointing out that they worked hard to restrict the yield of Pinot Noir to achieve riper grapes. Overall slightly less whole-bunch fermentation was used as Brian felt the stems and fruit were not as ripe as in richer vintages.

Bottles of this product are discounted by 30%. Price shown includes saving.

A monopole of the estate, the vines here are over 60 years old. There is impressive concentration, with a generosity on the attack which gives way to a saline thread of acidity, providing a mouth-watering finish.  A wine of great potential. Drink 2023-2030.

Harvest began here on 29th August, with wines fermented and aged for the first year in barrel, before being transferred to tank to preserve freshness. Laurent has used less than 10 percent new oak across the range, arguing that a barrel is a container rather than a flavouring. He feels that 2017 has similarly ripe fruit to his (hugely successful) 2015s, but with a little more freshness and purity.

A cuvée which has been moved over from the Château de Puligny, and Brian explained that he took the decision to retain more lees than in its previous guise, resulting in a wine with more body and a more reductive aromatic profile. Raised 50/50 in 600ltr and 228ltr barrels, there is wonderful density here and significant mineral complexity. Drink 2020-2025.
Adam Bruntlett, Wine Buyer

Casse-Tête (east of Les Tillets) and Murger de Monthélie, on the northern border of the appellation combine beautifully this year, for a wine with an extra dimension that captures the character of the vintage very well, with Premier Cru quality within touching distance. Drink 2022-2026.

Since our visit last year, Patrick’s dream of an appellation exclusively for generic wines from the Côte d’Or has been realised and the label of the estate’s estimable Cuvée Oligocène proudly announces its new status. For 2017, Patrick’s daughter Marion explained, they didn’t need to keep too much of the lees, as the musts were already rich and they preferred to use bâtonnage for complexity. Harvesting began on 28th August and Marion feels there is a purer expression of terroir this year than last.

Poruzots is a vineyard quick to ripen and, in an early year like 2017, care is needed. Certainly the wine shows an opulent side in 2017 but the year’s in-built freshness pulls the finish together. A potentially garrulous wine that has learnt some self-awareness. Drink 2023-2029.

Winemaker Brian Sieve draws comparisons between the white wines of 2017 and 2014, explaining that the texture, weight and freshness are very similar in both years, although 2017 has perhaps a little more fruit ripeness, along with excellent tension and persistence. He believes that this same freshness and brightness in the reds will provide ageing capacity, pointing out that they worked hard to restrict the yield of Pinot Noir to achieve riper grapes. Overall slightly less whole-bunch fermentation was used as Brian felt the stems and fruit were not as ripe as in richer vintages.