To be precise, my wish was to taste villages wines with lieu-dits on their label – such as Cromin or Tillets. There were producers who still sent anonymous Meursault cuvées, or old-vines cuvées with no other info, but as they had taken the time…
In-line with the vintage – very good overall – with 7 highly recommended wines from 23 tasted.
The wines…
Here are the wines in the order they were tasted, blind:
2017 Château de Meursault, Meursault du Château
A big, heavy, bottle.
Pale colour. A beautiful nose – of modest proportion – but floral and attractive. A little gas. An impression of tannin, some oak flavour too. But this has a fine persistence of flavour: a great nose – more modest in flavour. Fine wine…
2017 Château de Meursault, Meursault Limozin
Another big, heavy, bottle.
This wine is also pale coloured and shows a beautifully inviting nose of modest proportion, ginger-spiced Meursault style here. Gas again – more energy, a grain to the texture – like the last – more sucrosity and holding of a fine finish. Excellent!
2017 Bernard Millot, Meursault Les Buissons Certaut
Pale colour. Here is a nose that shows more depth, more fruit-stone in this depth, a modestly growing higher tone, faintly ginger-spiced. More drive and freshness. This has energy and intent – I love this flavour – if only it could be coupled to the even more attractive aromas of the first two wines! Excellent nonetheless.
Pale colour. Another very fine nose – if of modest amplitude – but so inviting; soft citrus and faint spice. Big in the mouth, fresh, mineral, great shape, fine energy – there’s some faint oak in the finish, but this is a super wine – bravo!
Pale colour. A nose of more impact, airy, fresh, lime and spice. Extra-wide, extra mineral – tons of energy – can you hold a conversation and drink this at the same time? Depth of great flavour – persistent in the finish. Bravo!
2017 Olivier Manuel, Meursault
More depth of aroma – more shaded to lemon than lime, otherwise a little tight. Driving flavour, concentrated, a weight of flavour yet of good balance – there’s quite a lot of oak but spicy rather than vanilla – round, ripe and long. Very good.
2017 Terres de Velle, Meursault Les Luchets Vieilles-Vignes
A deep nose, with a little herb – but with citrus energy too. Clearly mineral – nicely textured, slowly melting flavour over the palate. Very tasty wine – and a little different. Very good.
2017 Sylvain Dussort, Meursault Vieilles-Vignes
Ooh – that’s super! Not extra large but with a cushioned, pure, depth of fresh lemon – yes! Extra fresh, hyper-mineral! Saline, melting, mouth-watering. Another wine where it would be hard to talk and drink at the same time. A great, practically juicy finish with a little citrus skin impression. Bravo!
2017 Bernard Millot, Meursault Les Terres Blanches
Of-course a heavy bottle – this is Meursault!
A little DIAM-style reduction. Too fizzy today to say much – lots of gas-aided volume. A fine finish though…
2017 Terres de Velle, Meursault
An attractive, if slightly compact, nose – some lemon citrus depth. Proper Meursault flavour in the mouth, good texture, full-flavoured and only very slowly fading in the finish. Excellent!
Slightly different bottle-shape.
A little ‘noble-reduction’ (haha!) that makes for a more agrume-style fruit. Lots of gas again – but clearly a wine with energy and complexity – there’s some reduction on the palate too but here is a delicious complex, absolutely Meursault, Meursault – bravo!
2017 Château de Meursault, Meursault Clos des Grands Charrons
A nice width of aroma – not a big nose but inviting all the same – actually with time there’s a little extra floral accent. Supple but concentrated. A bit of barrel below, – actually quite a lot but there’s (almost) no vanilla. Supple, complex, layered flavour – it tastes expensive! Excellent wine!
2017 Laurent Boussey, Meursault Vieilles-Vignes
A little duller, but deeper, aroma – perhaps a little reduction. Yes reduced on the palate – but the flavour is vibrant and clearly very mineral – carafe this – it’s not showing so well as it is, unfortunately…
2017 Bernard Millot, Meursault Les Petits Charrons
Hmm – some weight to this nose – kind of silky too! Round, plenty of freshness – proper Meursault flavour. A concentrated finishing flavour too – a little compact in presentation today but plenty of great material. Excellent I think, it just needs more time to relax more over the palate…
2017 Chanson Père et Fils, Meursault
A deep but reductive nose – DIAM? Likewise in the flavours – there’s energy and plenty of great minerality – but the undertow of reduction is a bit too much – carafe and let’s see – because the final flavours are really good…
A pretty nose of fine and open lemon and white flowers. Gassy. Fresh, bright – mouth-filling. The flavour is actually super with a little oak-augmentation. The
Hmm – attractive – some aromatic depth, a little ginger spice, drink-me it says! Volume and minerality – quite supple but with fine acidity – the energy continues right into the finish. A delicious, slightly floral finish – Bravo!
2017 Vaudoisey-Creusefond, Meursault
Deep aroma, some lively complexity but a suggestion of reduction too. Full, lacking a bit of elegance – yet full of energy and minerality – but the reduction is the main problem.
2017 Château de Pommard, Meursault
Not a big nose, but a fine nose – compact but aromatic and inviting. Power, some concentration here – lacking a bit of acid/energy vs many here – but long on the palate – oak augmented here – give it a bit of time. Very good.
A big nose, of energy, of faint oak – but it’s an invitataion for sure. Big, mouth-filling, fresh, citrus-inflected flavour. A touch of oak but super, super. Bravo!
2017 Champy, Meursault
Much more mineral in the width of aroma – but lovely! In the mouth this has a strange, almost oxidized style to the flavour – bizzare…
2017 Pierre Bourée, Meursault
The first bottle (and only bottle) that was corked. Here the ‘spare’ bottle:
Deep slightly fumé. Much more saline, but mouth-watering – I would say particular in style – sweet and salty. Interesting…
Ooh – bright, wide, ginger-spiced loveliness! The palate is über-complex, energetic – really a wine of intellectual, not just flavour, interest. A slight suggestion of finishing reduction but a great finish. Bravo!