Tasted with Pierre Meurgey at the Château de Bligny, 27 May 2024.
Maison Pierre Meurgey-Croses
Château de Bligny
14 Grande rue
21200 Bligny-lès-Beaune
Tel. +33 98 18 32 9 04
www.pierremeurgey.com
Pierre’s Instagram
More reports on Meurgey-Croses.
Pierre on 2022:
“The 22s have bottled for two months, some for only 1 month – the whites were done in December. It was a vintage with a good volume – comfortable – fortunately! – as the previous 3 vintages were very low. The last years, the volume was low mainly because of the concentration of the juices. In the vines, we can say that life was a little easier than in 2023 and certainly versus 2021. Our experience of the last years of producing organically has helped us keep on top of things but it’s clear that you sometimes have small windows for treatment – and if it’s on a Saturday or Sunday – that’s just the way it is. Talking of timing – it’s become vital for harvesting too – a couple of days earlier not quite ripe, a couple of days later the reverse – much seems to be ready at the same time. You even have to pay people to wait to harvest to be sure you are fully equipped for the 3-4 days when all is perfect – but recent years have been very clean grapes so… In 22 we dialed back the whole clusters in some cases – because we hadn’t enough place in the tanks!”
The wines…
Delicious wines in 2022 perhaps the greatest wines in the red selection – but lovely, lovely wines…
2022 Savigny-lès-Beaune Les Balliards
Organically certified (AB) grapes. From the bottom of Savigny.
A nice breadth of red fruit with a small oak cushion. Supple – mouth-filling – nice energy – and yes, plenty of oak – but this is a delicious wine.
2022 Volnay Les Echards
Next to Carelles in central Volnay on some deep soil – near Famines. Bottled start of May, ‘vines just below Champans – quite a structural terroir here.’
Deeper red colour. A similar oak profile but both deeper fruit and faintly floral – a pretty invitation. Wide, beautifully panoramic with a fine texture – faintly velour from the tannin. Modest finishing bitters too that lengthen the finish. Lovely wine – finer wine – but wait 2 years!
Mainly Champimonts and a smaller amount of Cras – this part with the stems.
Deeper colour again. Hmm – lovely, open, darker red fruit – again cushioned by some barrel aromatics. More direct, silky and fluid – this is splendid – and has some power too. The finish is crunchy and fresh – this is simply excellent – maybe a great Beaune!
All destemmed.
Airy, more berry style fruit – fine aromatic focus here – more direct and less obviously oaked. Supple, silky before the tannin slowly rises. Very classy fruit here. A wine that year-in, year-out here is excellent, practically great – it’s the same in 22 – well done
2022 Côte de Nuits Villages, Aux Montagne
Also certified organic grapes. Hillside vines on a very draining soil. This also later bottled – in May – as the malo took a long time.
Plenty of colour. A very different style of fruit – smaller, darker berries and even a little graphite minerality. Dark fruit flavour too – here with a small drag to the texture from the tannin – but no grain. Concentrated but beautifully balanced – nothing heavy. Excellent CDNV !!
2022 Nuits St.Georges Les Chaillots
Below Les St Georges – third vintage here – from vines over 50 years old.
A more elegant width of redder fruit – even a floral suggestion. A combination of super freshness and energy. Juicy wine with the faintest accent of tannin – wide and chewy in the finish – slightly mineral and textural here – such an interesting wine with almost an elegance to the finishing bitters too. Really super…
Les Whites:
“There was some Pouilly-Fuissé – but not enough – it’s all gone…”
2022 Mâcon-Uchizy
All tank elevage.
Vibrant, fleshy, quite perfumed and forward aromas. A supple wine with a little generosity of cushioning but there’s still energy and freshness here – an almost juicy and mineral side to this – the finish with a little perfume and minerality. Lovely, delicious wine, for the label!!
2022 Viré-Clessé Vieilles-Vignes
From Le Mont, multiple vine ages but some of the vines up to 95 years old. Bottled in June
Extra width of ripe but fresh citrus – nice. Mouth-filling, a saline and mineral edge to this ripe citrus and although there is plenty of older barrels used for elevage – you won’t note any. Clean, lip-smacking and moreish – yes!!
2022 Saint Véran
From Davayé in these recent years – previously Pierre had grapes more from Leynes. About 30% barrel elevage.
A narrower but still vibrant citrus – more golden and honied in style. Riper fruit with a cushioned but finely defined shape. Extra finishing intensity – still cushioned – but for the first time suggesting some ripe lime fruit too. I like !!
2022 Pouilly-Fuissé
From the village of Pouilly – 5 hillside parcels with 3 different pressings. Less than 10% new oak but plenty of 1-year-old barrels. 70-95 year-old vines.
Less width but there’s clarity to this citrus depth. Cushioned, silky, layered wine. The finish is my favourite part with a slowly leaching, delicious, mouth-watering flavour that haunts the palate – contemplative but great finish…
2022 Pouilly-Fuissé 1er Les Boutières
3.5 barrels – 1.5 were new – bottled in December – but with a number of months in stainless-steel barrels before bottling.
Extra width and almost a faint warm spice. Here is certainly extra complexity, depth too. A small but modest cushion and flavour from the barrel – keep this for a year or two – but like the last with a sneakily delicious, lasting finish.
2022 Pernand-Vergelesses
Le Pins with a little Combottes.
Freshness and a fine precision to this lemon citrus. Supple, understated structure and with a breadth of energetic and quite intense finishing flavour with just a suggestion of Pernand reduction to this fruit flavour. Very long – another wine with such a gorgeous finish !!
2022 Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Sous Fretile
Whilst there’s still some width, this is essentially a more vertical nose that vibrates with citrus energy in the depth. Here there is a small coating of barrel flavour but the wine retains great shape and depth of flavour then the last notes widen over the palate – once more deliciously finishing. That’s super…