Tasted in Meursault with François Mikulski, 4 November 2016.
François Mikulski Earl
7 Route Nationale 74
21190 Meursault
Tel: +33 3 80 21 25 11
www.domainemikulski.fr
François on 2016:
“I have to say that I’m satisfied with the final quality of the wines, but the quantity is a catastrophe.
“We lost 70% of our whites. The wines are still fermenting but analyses are very good, reds are now finished fermentation of-course. Some sectors really suffered – maybe 75% lost, but we had good rain at a good time, without which we would easily have been minus 80% volume.
“1999 also had a lot of rain, taken up by the vines, but that was a very different vintage both before and after the rain – this time it didn’t affect the balance.”
The wines…
Still 5 cork suppliers here.
2015 Bourgogne Pinot Noir
Lost 80% this year. From Lomboits, 50-year-old vines and Les Durots from 1929 – both in Meursault.
Round, very fine red fruit – very inviting. In the mouth too, fine fruit and with a super acidity this is super bourgogne!
Last year bought wine, exploited some Pommard until 2007 when sold, but from this vintage have own vines, 3 small parcels including les Cras.
A tighter nose, faintly floral. More weight, fine texture, complex, supple only one barrel from what should be 6 but super wine that’s great finishing – not a hint of rusticity!
Originally from the de Montille family in early 1900s
A fine if modest nose of super clarity, and mid-red fruit. A hint less cushioned but much wider with a bubbling complexity of floral notes. This needs more time than the Pommard – but so it should – yet it’s easily drinkable today. I find lots of love in this floral finishing wine!
2015 Meursault 1er Caillerets
Not made for a few years after hail, but one barrel each in 15 and 16.
A big spicy nose, no stems – really engaging stuff. Silkier, but no less weight, more depth and weight of flavour, complex, if less overtly so than the Santenots. A bigger wine, but very, very different to most from the Côte de Beaune… yum! Also a hint floral finishing, but different flowers – despite same planting material as the Santenots.
Les blancs…
2015 Bourgogne Aligote
This and the bourgogne only ones in bottle. Old vines from 1928 and 1949, less than 1/5 of a normal harvest in 2016.
Wide and bright faintly gold spiced. Supple, good freshness, mineral and saline too. Grows in the mid-palate and has an impressively wide finish. Super aligoté.
2015 Bourgogne Chardonnay
Bottled September, the aligoté in July.
Weighty fruit, a hint Meursault spiced. Supple again – the word for the domaine this year it seems – good texture and weight. Not the most energetic but the mineral component brings fine-enough balance – plenty of interest in the finish too. Clearly close to a decent Meursault in quality. Super finishing too yum.
2015 Meursault
5 parcels, mainly Pellans, Chaumes de Narvaux and Meix Chavaux, plus a tiny part of Les Pelles Dessus
A little firework reduction. Very silky and with a freshness that balances a little fat. Layered and with a nice open-ended finishing flavour. Too reductive to say very good or very fine but good stuff all the same…
Has 0.5 ha
Pure! Higher-toned, fine spiced bread, nothing reductive. Wide, open, fine detail, balanced yet contemplative – but this is really fine – very yum! A finish that reminds me of Genevrières and that can’t be a bad thing…
2015 Meursault Limozin
Made when there’s enough – there are 2 barrels in 15, 2 cases of fruit in 16…
A much deeper nose, of ginger and fine clarity. Fresher, more depth of flavour and more energy – more oak too, but that will fade and it’s certainly wrapped up in the finishing complexity for now. Only 2 barrels so it was harder to control the oak influence. Excellent! From a quality perspective, I really think that this is a bridge between the villages and 1ers.
2015 Meursault 1er Les Poruzots
A roulot style nose, vibrant and with a modest reductive twist. Wide, mineral complex, perhaps needs a hint more precision, maybe February for bottling, this needs more elevage, but this also has a great finish! A wine to watch…
2015 Meursault 1er Aux Charmes
Vines planted in 1930 and 1998 the different parcels, one bottom, the other in the middle of Charmes.
A subtler nose, wide, very faintly spice, clean and attractive – but very shy. Full, fresh, bubbling complexity – layers of flavour. This is super and the mouth-watering finishing excellent in fact. Super wine!
‘I got these vines back in 03; I wasn’t really happy with the results before 2008 but bio helped a lot I thinks.’
A little more depth of squeaky-clean aroma, faintly spice bread too. Wide, fresh, mineral – ooh that’s good! Tons of complexity – gorgeous mouth-watering flavour. Pure gorgeousness! Then another burst of flavour! It gets even better!
2015 Meursault 1er Genevrières
More depth again, a vibrant nose. A hint more gas, but fresh and layered delivery of flavour. Just slightly less precision vs the gouttes, but fabulous finishing flavour – a big finish. – has the fat lady already sung? The only vines that give a higher yield in 16 vs 15!
Of-course from vines planted in 1913.
Mid slope. A bigger scale of nose than the other Charmes cuvée. More mid-palate fruit, ripe and clean. Like moving from the stand-in at the ballet to the prima ballerina – or perhaps this is more masculine with perfectly formed muscle. It’s not a fresh, energetic complexity, it is a silken, exercise in pure pleasure with an endless finish.