The baker’s dozen of blind Meursaults

Update 28.7.2016(21.7.2016)billn

WP_20160613_18_35_49_ProTasted in Zürich at the Carlton Restaurant, 13 June 2016.

Meursault was the theme of our evening tasting in Zürich, organized by Jean-François Guyard of the Swiss website vinifera-mundi. The wines were poured in flights of three or four, blind, the identity of each wine was revealed following each flight.

Really a super (average) quality level here, and whilst I didn’t like the ‘cider’ noses of a couple of wines, the palates were, in each case, fine. Really lots to love in this selection:

The wines…

Interesting that my top wine and one of of my ‘joint second place’ wines were ‘only’ villages Meursault. Despite it’s oak, the Henri Boillot villages was my top wine – I assumed it was Coche-Dury. Three other very different wines occupied my ‘joint second’ place; Camille Giroud’s 2013 Poruzots, Pierre Boillot’s 1978 Charmes and Lafon’s 2005 villages Meursault.

1999 Verget, Meursault Tillets
This was our apero wine. Deep golden. There’s a suggestion of oxidation on my first sniff, but also the white chocolate and lanolin of a mature white. Full, round, some salinity, virtually no oxidation in the flavours – this is mineral, long and tasty – it’s actually rather good for the combination of vintage and producer. Very enjoyable wine.

2009 Buisson-Charles, Meursault 1er Bouchères
Bright and fresh aromas; this has a very nice, weighty, Meursault nose, with a good citrus ‘cut’ to it too – it also grows a smokiness. Fills the mouth with fresh, direct flavours, good layers of flavour, the last aspects of oak too maybe. This is delicious wine. A fine, mouth-watering finish, faintly mineral and a lot tasty. Yum!

2013 Camille Giroud, Meursault 1er Poruzots
A tighter, narrower nose but with a fine, floral, high-toned freshness. Ooh, that’s lovely too – more energy, lots of complexity – a shade less focus vs the last wine – but really rewarding drinking. Beautiful wine.

2012 Remi Jobard, Meursault 1er Poruzots-Dessus
A wide and pretty high-toned nose – slowly adding ripe but fresh fruit notes at the base. More mineral, very good intensity – really a growing intensity too – super. Less overtly delicious than the last wine, but more mineral and intense – a super line of flavour. Very tasty!

1998 Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Genevrières
4. Much darker colour. A deep, ripe-fruited intense nose – a little different but I find this rather inviting, it grows a spiciness too. Fresh, mineral, clearly older wine, but in super shape – lots of intensity, layers of flavour. A silky and concentrated wine that washes over the palate. A different beast to the last two, but impressive all the same.

2011 Henri Boillot Meursault 1er Charmes
Here rests plenty of toasty oak residue – a few fresh references but mainly toast to start with – it does, however, become cleaner and shows more clarity with time. Direct, some minerality, fine freshness and intensity. This is a super impressive wine with fabulous precision and focus plus great acidity. It could have been even tastier if there was less oak – but really a top wine. But today I prefer to drink the Giroud.

2012 François Mikulski, Meursault 1er Charmes
Here’s a nose that majors on spiced fruit – a much more comforting and inviting nose vs the oak of the last wine. Vibrant in the mouth, great intensity too – reminds a little of the Lafon – quite silky. Less delicious again, but top quality. Holds on tenaciously in the finish.

1978 Pierre Boillot, Meursault 1er Charmes
Clever positioning of this wine – it is the same vines as the last wine; Pierre Boillot being the father-in-law of François Mikulski.
Fireworks, salt, reduction, yellow fruit – really a powerful aromatic – without oxidation. A salty start, complex, a savoury complexity, not a hint of oxidation. This is very super wine indeed – but only for those that like old stuff – old but fabulously vibrant.

2008 Vincent Dancer, Meursault Perrières
Less intense and open, but really very attractive, soft yellow fruit. Sweet, some age here, but like a melting ice-cream on the palate. Seems like a warm year’s fruit but with lovely acidity. A creamy fruit. Very tasty, – a bright burst in the finish with good length. Yum!

2009 Pierre Matrot, Meursault 1er Perrières
A little deeper colour. An obvious sweet apple on the nose. This is really very different in shape, line, flavour – everything. Tasty but really Meursault?…

2005 Comtes Lafon, Meursault Clos de la Barre
Wide, with sweet and salt, a faint reductive note, but the impression of an oxidative note too(?) but this becomes more a salted caramel impression with more air. A fine fresh line of flavour, intense flavour, vibrant if with a suggestion of caramel again – though clearly no loss of energy. Very impressive weight, but really not the most delicious of vintages – 2005? Tasty all the same.

2005 Comtes Lafon, Meursault
A nice complex nose with more than a hint of reduction and a complex, almost agrumes note. Fresh, bright, complex, yes some reduction, but here is lithe and fresh wine. With super complexity. A warmer impression to the finish. Excellent – but still a hint behind the Boillot despite better oak here.

1997 Bouchard Père et Fils, Meursault 1er Perrières
Another apple nose – more like cider – the dark colour too. A slightly oxidised apple impression. Despite the nose, there’s theres a good line of flavour and lots of mouth-watering sweet flavour. Very tasty despite the oxidative note – super acidity too.

1997 de Montille, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Caillerets
Another wine – totally different from the rest – toffee – and a modest sweetness. In the mouth this is really much more impressive than the nose – direct, mouth-watering, intense and also concentrated. I really don’t like the nose very much, but there are waves of fine finishing flavour here. Super!

And some blind Volnay to finish:

2013 Henri Germain, Meursault, Clos des Mouches
It turned out that this wasn’t really Volnay!
Very floral and deeply red-fruited – classic Volnay perfume(!) Bright, detailed, complex, energetic – this is simply gorgeous wine. An absolute beauty!

1993 Jacques Prieur, Volnay 1er Chapmans (Mag)
A deep nose, much more maturity with some sous bois and dried leaves here – there’s a certain faint spice too. Big in the mouth, lots of energy here – more intensity too. Impressive wine, despite more intensity, it’s less delicious. Good waves of flavour though

2007 Buisson-Charles, Volnay 1er Santenots
Interesting depth, red fruit too but with a floral/ toffee edge. A fresh, almost aggressive wave of acid-led flavour, slowly it comes more into balance. Really super mid-palate fruit, but never really with the best balance. Tasty, but not the best.

1995 Lafarge, Volnay 1er Clos des Chênes
Deep dark nose but really rather tight compared to the others. Silky wine, wide, still with plenty of tannin and intensity. From structure, this is young. Really not the tastiest today but something of a baby.

Agree? Disagree? Anything you'd like to add?

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