Tasted in Meursault with Stéphane Follin-Arbelet, 23 May 2022.
Domaine de Château du Meursault
Rue du Moulin Foulot
21190 Meursault
Tel: +33 3 80 26 22 75
www.chateau-meursault.com
More reports with Château de Meursault
67 hectares are under control here today – and there’s no négoce operation. 40 different wines are currently produced of which 5 are grand cru. There is an additional 40 hectares at the Château de Marsannay under the same owner. The 2022 vintage will be the first for both estates, labelled as organic – AB. At this time they claim they will be biggest organic certified estate in Burgundy – Stéphane noting “We can treat the whole domaine in 1 day now – it needed 7 new tractors to enable this – you can imagine the cost.”
On 2020:
“This was a concentrated vintage; temperatures were over 20°C in February – so it was hardly surprising that we had a little frost – but maybe only 5-10% was lost. Particularly it was a dry vintage. Harvesting started here on the 21st August – the earliest date ever at the chateau – and also finishing in August – the 31st. The whites are bottled but only by a few weeks…”
The wines…
A window into recent vintages chez Château de Meursault. I always found the whites super but the reds too heavily extracted for my taste – clearly this is not the case in 2019 (perhaps like their sister domaine in Marsannay.) I’ll be happy to return to taste their 2021s – if they will have me!
Starting with selected whites
All whites are sealed with DIAM Origine:
2020 Bourgogne Clos du Château
8 ha in Bourgogne but 1/3 is classified as Meursault and this is all bio, but the grapes are all assembled… Probably for bottling in December – was racked together just before the harvest.
A little oak toast but nice balance. Round, silky, a wine of generosity, widening over the palate with very classy flavours – particularly in the finish – that’s really a super finish! Generally I’d like a bit more tension but, as noted, that’s a great finish.
2020 Meursault 1er Charmes de Dessus
They have 4.5 ha in Charmes and this is their wine from the top part of the vineyard
Ooh – perfumed – that’s a super nose. Mouth-filling, layered, melting over the palate, deliciously long. Here is plenty of energy, though a wine that’s still in a contemplate style – but really an excellent thing…
Old vines here. From the Meursault side of Puligny. Above the Combettes of Jacques Prieur
Narrower, deeper but still nicely fresh perfume – super florals. Instantly more energetic and exciting in the mouth – here is tension – vibrant finishing – ooh that’s more overtly mineral in the finish almost chalky – and completely delicious – bravo!
Plain east facing, planted in 2007. Early ripening with lots of stones. An old quarry delivering 4 barrels worth – usually. From young vines, just 10 years old.
Deeper, rounder, more fruit-focused aromas – ripe but welcoming, growing with fresher florals too – that’s becoming ever-more impressive in the glass. Extra vibrant – more structural and energetic but really showing multiple dimensions of flavour and chalky mineral flavour to finish. I think that’s a great wine, I like the hint of strictness that this wine brings too.
Les Reds:
We are tasting selected 2019s here – “A little extra freshness than our 2020 reds as we had a little more rain…”
2019 Ladoix Les Chaillots
Ex Merode of more than 60 yo vines
Round, faintly smoky nose – opening with more violet flowers – becoming more perfumed in the glass. Bright, mineral and fresh this is vibrant, faintly cushioned, modest bitters in the finish… That’s a delicious finish too. Excellent almost great villages…
2019 Volnay 1er Clos des Chênes
2.5 hectares – two large parcels that are separately vinified.
A warmth and roundness of fruit. Like the other wines growing in the glass with more floral perfumes. Super texture – mouth-filling wine – long, there’s power here but not with excess – this is very, very successful in 2019 – really excellent again!
Ooh – very floral from the start an accent of tobacco, then even more flowers – that’s a great nose! Sleek, direct, silky wine. Vibrant middle and finishing flavours. A great wine…
2019 Corton Marechaudes
1.5 hectares, also ex-Merode – 2018 was the first vintage here with a new tank made just for this one. The vines are over 50 years old.
Such a concentrated fruit but of purity too – nothing heaving or ‘too much.’ Braodening in complexity again. Wide, slowly mouth-filling, another wine of superb texture. Intense some finishing bitters – powerful yet sophisticated Corton – and with freshness so it’s never heavy…