Meursault Lieu-Dit

Fine, pale lemon, this has a lean and hungry nose, with fine, balanced aromatics. There is excellent length to this for Bouzereau’s basic Meursault. A friendly and enjoyable wine. Drink 2019-2022.
Jasper Morris MW, Wine Buyer

Picking began on 28th August and the whites were brought in across just three days. “It was such a beautiful quality of fruit,” says Jean-Baptiste, “that I couldn't stop eating the grapes.” Good sugar levels have brought alcohols ranging from 12.6 to 13.2 percent and the wines have been elegant right from the start.

Grands Charrons sits at the same height as the village’s Premiers Crus but faces more to the east. The wine is beautifully aromatic in 2017, floral with a hint of honey and a fine, ripe entry to the palate, although still with plenty in reserve. Drink 2022-2028.

The harvest started on 30th August in Cailleret and Charmes, and was finished by 9th September. The Pinot Noir and Chardonnay flowered in warm weather at the same time but, while the Pinot loved the heat, Chardonnay did not, with the resulting coulure and millerandage restricting yields to around 50hl/ha. Jean-Baptiste looked to get texture into his wines with skin contact and an extended fermentation rather than through bâtonnage, seeking to capture as much of the vital balancing freshness as possible.

A fine, pale lemon colour, there are some very pretty, light herbal notes such as verbena, along with a good intensity of white fruit, just nicely ripe enough. This has a very long finish with lovely mouth-feel. Drink 2019-2023.
Jasper Morris MW, Wine Buyer

Picking began on 28th August and the whites were brought in across just three days. “It was such a beautiful quality of fruit,” says Jean-Baptiste, “that I couldn't stop eating the grapes.” Good sugar levels have brought alcohols ranging from 12.6 to 13.2 percent and the wines have been elegant right from the start.

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.

The lovely, racy personality of this vineyard is well served by the generosity of 2017. The wine is very fruity and open, with notes of white flower and peach stone, but counterpointed by a firm, detailed structure, typical of this lime-rich site. 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.

From vines planted in 1958 and 1989, there was very little frost damage here. Tessons is a favourite site, on the same contour as the upper section of Genevrières and Perrières, but facing slightly more towards the east. There is a pleasant weight of fruit on the entry, before the mid-palate opens and develops with brisk acidity to give a wine of great elegance and freshness. Ethereal. Drink 2021-2025.
Adam Bruntlett, Burgundy Buyer

The Bouzereau clan is widespread in the village of Meursault, with Domaine Michel Bouzereau at the forefront. Jean-Baptiste Bouzereau, Michel’s son, is now in sole charge. He moved to a purpose-built winery in 2009 which has made the winemaking a great deal easier to manage and has enabled Jean-Baptiste to refine his style towards greater purity as well as more substance. The wines are racked after 11 months, with the better village Meursaults and all the Premiers Crus being returned to barrel for additional ageing, before bottling early the following year. Jean-Baptiste explained that frost was more of a problem in the lower-lying Grands Charrons vineyard than Tessons and the Premiers Crus which sit on the slope. Overall he is around a third down on a normal year, mainly in the lesser appellations. Harvest began on 22nd September for the whites, and took place in good conditions. He feels that 2016 is a vintage which will appeal to Burgundy lovers, and one which shows each terroir with great clarity.

For those who enjoy mineral expressions of Meursault, Tesson is one of the most highly regarded village vineyards, facing east on the mid-slope. The nose is pure and clean with a marine character, while the palate is tight and tense with lots of energy and vibrancy, nicely supported by just enough fruit. Drink 2022-2029.

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.

This is one of Dominique’s favourites, a vineyard which he says always makes great wines. The nose has a lifted, floral character and some stony reduction. On the front of the palate there is a richness to the peach and citrus fruit, which tightens up into a smoky, toasty and precise finish. Drink 2022-2028.

After the famine of 2016, this year is something of a feast, at least in the case of the reds. Sadly, the whites, which Dominique praises as having excellent clarity, are in slightly smaller volumes than 2016. The good news is that the full range of red wines has been made, and in good volume too. Dominique is effusive in his praise for the 2017 reds, describing them as appealing, with beautiful balance, a lightness of touch, refined tannins and a floral character with stunning red fruit.

Pure, clear and bright in colour with green tints; this is a fabulous, dancing wine, on the tips of its balletdancer feet, with beautiful oak integration. Really lively and very persistent, this has a fine feeling of elegance, and all white fruit.

Jean-Philippe is serene in the knowledge of the quality of his 2014 vintage. The grapes were entirely healthy, there were no problems in vinification, the maturation process is happening as it should and the wines are set to give a great deal of pleasure all round. There is less reduction than last year, so they will be accessible reasonably early, while still having good keeping potential.

A pale lemon colour with light green tints, this cuvée displays a very backward nose with a touch of beneficial reduction. In the mouth it is very classy, building to the back, quite generous, with a lovely aftertaste. The fruit keeps on coming. Drink 2019-2025.
Jasper Morris MW, Wine Buyer

The whites were picked from 28th August with a good crop for the Bourgogne Blanc (see page XX), rather less in the other white vineyards. The reds – more wine than in 2014 or 2016 but far from a full crop – are superb, having been vinified with very light extraction, given the health and beauty of the raw material. While all the whites count as domaine wines, there are now two excellent cuvées of Premier Cru Beaune from purchased grapes to go alongside the domaine-owned Beaune Épenottes and the two Volnays.

This is a favourite vineyard in Meursault. The wine shows a pale colour with a really stylish bouquet. Discreet at the front, the palate fills out behind, with some lemon and lime notes, a very silky, suave finish and excellent length. Perfect. Drink 2020-2024.
Jasper Morris MW, Wine Buyer

Benjamin began picking on 2nd September and was able to bring in slightly more wine than the previous year. The entire range is really impressive, in both colours. There are two excellent new cuvées, Vosne-Romanée and Nuits-St Georges Aux Boudots. Some cuvées have a little bit of whole-bunch vinification in 2015. For reasons of space the limited volumes of Grands Crus have not been included in this brochure. As with last year, all the white wines will be bottled under screwcap.

This tightly wound, nutty, and spiced apple-flavoured Meursault wine offers hints of white flowers and peaches. It is lush, soft and appealing. Drink it over the next 4 years. The quality shows in the persistent finish.
(Jasper Morris MW, BBR Buyer)

A bright pale colour with a lime tinge, faint but positive reduction. It has a very classy nose, really intense linear pointed style; fabulous length and finish.
Jasper Morris, MW - Wine Buyer

The 2013 vintage was another very difficult vintage to manage, with a heavily reduced crop after the hail, but unlike in 2012 Dominique has at least been able to make all his appellations. The wines were at a backward stage when tasted in October but with really exciting potential.

Discreet wood surrounds ripe white peach, lemon rind and acacia blossom as well as a soft roasted nut character. There is excellent richness yet good detail too to the intense and mouth coating flavors that somewhat curiously, do not have the depth of the Gruyaches or the Chevalières, at least not yet anyway. We'll see in a few years as there is at least the underlying material to develop it. Note however that this is sufficiently forward that there isn't a lot of time in which to do so.
Allen Meadows - burghound.com - February 2011

Weighty and ripe with a touch of verbena adding spice to the nose, this is smart wine for the money. The fruit steadily grows in the mouth before the impressive finish that shows hints of lemon grass.
Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Director

Production has recently moved to a new facility on the outskirts of Beaune, which is making life much easier for the Roche de Bellene team. The philosophy stays the same: work with excellent grape sources and get the wines out into the market at competitive prices. The reds have had an excellent following for many a year now, while recently the whites have shown the same impressive price to quality ratio that makes this such a good address.

There were only 100 cases of this new wine produced in 2010, which is a shame at it provides terrific, elegant Meursault. Pure, clean and bright with a very chiselled, mineral nose, it is crunchy on the palate before it fattens out. The whole is suffused with a floral perfume.
Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Director

The former Domaine René Manuel has been purchased by investors, the vineyards being split between Domaine des Comtes Lafon and Domaine Roulot while Dominique Lafon himself has moved production of his own label wines to the Manuel cellars in Meursault, as well as gaining some Bourgogne Blanc vines. Though Dominique operates officially under the status of negociant, all the wines are domaine grown and bottled except the Bourgogne Blanc, which will be next year.

Situated up-slope and facing north-east, this is a vineyard which always offers a racy freshness. There is a welcoming peach profile to the nose, with a touch of hazelnut and dried apricot. The palate is stricter, however, with zesty citrus fruit and a pleasing minerality to the finish. There is lovely balance here. Drink 2020-2025.
Adam Bruntlett, Burgundy Buyer

In January 2002 Maison Camille Giroud was bought by an American consortium led by banker Joe Wender and winery-owner Ann Colgin, and a new chapter began. David Croix was installed as the winemaker/ technical director and tasked with a major revamping of the winemaking facilities and especially replacement and renewal of the old barrels to make wines in a much purer, more modern style. The company also owns 1.2 hectares of vineyards in and around Beaune. The 2016 vintage was a collaborative effort between the outgoing David Croix and his replacement, Carel Voorhuis, formerly of Domaine d’Ardhuy. The transition is a smooth one, with Carel’s gentle touch following on seamlessly from David’s elegant style. Carel described the 2016 vintage as lighter than 2015, with more elegance and better balance. It is clear he has a preference for 2016, highlighting the expressive, aromatic characteristics of the wines and calling them “ethereal”. He explained that it was important to avoid over-ripeness by picking in good time, and emphasised the value of gentle extraction to prevent obtaining hard tannins.

Jean-Philippe feels this is the perfect example of Meursault. There is a nice touch of gunflint reduction on the nose, which leads into intense stone fruit before tightening up again with a twist of lime acidity on the finish. There is real elegance here, with a touch of toast and butter that lingers. A complete wine. Drink 2021-2028.
Adam Bruntlett, Burgundy Buyer

Fichet’s big step forward came in 2000 when he moved the whole operation to splendid cellars at Le Creux du Coche by the Hôpital de Meursault. Jean-Philippe is looking for purity in his wines. He deals mostly with lieux-dits in Meursault with just one Premier Cru in Puligny. Constantly experimenting and refining, his wines have real definition and individuality, with the individual terroirs clearly exposed. The wines are raised in barrel for the first year, using larger demi- muids for the lesser appellations, then assembled in tank. A maximum of 30 percent new oak is used on any cuvée. It is hard not to be infected by Jean- Philippe’s enthusiasm and positivity. Despite being 40 percent down in 2016, he remained upbeat, explaining that he sees the variability of vintages as part and parcel of a vigneron ’s lot. The losses could have been much worse, but the domaine is equipped with candles which protect against frost and they work hard in the vines to keep grass low to reduce the risk of frost damage. He declared himself happy with the quality, but feels it is a vintage which will require patience on the part of the consumer, as many of the wines will be more austere in youth than those of 2015.

This vineyard was not frosted at all, meaning a good crop this year. The quality is outstanding too; a delicious wine with great finesse, it simply feels effortless. There is a gorgeous crystalline energy without being aggressive. Silky and seductive. Drink 2021-2028.
Adam Bruntlett, Burgundy Buyer

Fichet’s big step forward came in 2000 when he moved the whole operation to splendid cellars at Le Creux du Coche by the Hôpital de Meursault. Jean-Philippe is looking for purity in his wines. He deals mostly with lieux-dits in Meursault with just one Premier Cru in Puligny. Constantly experimenting and refining, his wines have real definition and individuality, with the individual terroirs clearly exposed. The wines are raised in barrel for the first year, using larger demi- muids for the lesser appellations, then assembled in tank. A maximum of 30 percent new oak is used on any cuvée. It is hard not to be infected by Jean- Philippe’s enthusiasm and positivity. Despite being 40 percent down in 2016, he remained upbeat, explaining that he sees the variability of vintages as part and parcel of a vigneron ’s lot. The losses could have been much worse, but the domaine is equipped with candles which protect against frost and they work hard in the vines to keep grass low to reduce the risk of frost damage. He declared himself happy with the quality, but feels it is a vintage which will require patience on the part of the consumer, as many of the wines will be more austere in youth than those of 2015.

This is a stony vineyard, with an impactful nose, filled with lovely aromatics and fine tension. Transferring to the palate, this is longer and deeper in flavour than anticipated. Only three barrels were made, against a more usual nine. This is a really impressive, assertive and confident wine. Drink 2019-2023.
Adam Bruntlett, Burgundy Buyer

No relation to the many Magniens of the Côte de Nuits, young Sébastien comes instead from Meloisey in the Hautes Côtes de Beaune – a village whose wines were as well thought of as those of Volnay in the 14th century, and were served at the coronation of King Philip II Augustus in 1180. However, to be in the thick of things, Sébastien has transferred headquarters to revamped cellars in the middle of Meursault. He is equally adept at making red and white wines. Sitting (relatively) modestly on Sébastien’s shelf in his tasting area is a trophy: for the Jeunes Talents Côte de Beaune 2016. Sébastien’s star is certainly rising, and fully deserved. Everything here is precise and considered. His vineyards in Beaune, Puligny and St Romain were not frosted, but there are significant reductions elsewhere throughout his range. Much of Sébastien’s focus is in the vineyard, where he tries to capture the spirit of each of his wines. The difficulties of the spring aside, he is very happy with his results this year. He has also been paying particular attention to the toast levels of his barrels, with an even more discreet, integrated result.