Tasted in Meursault with Emmanuel Escutenaire and Stéphane Follin-Arbelet, 15 November 2017.
Domaine de Château du Meursault
Rue du Moulin Foulot
21190 Meursault
Tel: +33 3 80 26 22 75
www.chateau-meursault.com
There are new wines at the Château this year, from Ladoix and Aloxe, including Corton Marechaudes and Pommard Platières – 9 hectares taken en-fermage. 1/4 of the domaine is now in bio and its increasing every year. Now 67 hectares with the new fermage. “There was a lot to do at the start, but in the the last couple of years it’s been more about ‘precisioning’ what we are doing,” says Stéphane.
Emmanuel on 2017:
“2017 Of course we are really happy with the vintage. At the bottom of the hill, some parts were touched by the frost but we lost no more than ~15%. We had very healthy grapes when harvested – we started checking maturities the 16 august but then came a small heatwave and the sugars were growing 1 degree every three days. So we started a little sooner than first planed – starting on 29th – even this early many parcels showed 13.5°, up to 14° in some 1er cru parcels – there are some parallels to 2009 in this respect. Some red malos have already started, but not yet in the whites. I think a great white vintage with freshness and volume, and certainly a more ‘pinot’ vintage than 2015.”
Emmanuel on 2016:
“2016 meant to us yields of 10-15 hl/hl. We saw enormous damage, and it was worse in the pinot than the chardonnay – not all the whites were touched, but we lost 90% in Savigny. So, unsurprisingly, we had lots of concentration in our reds: There were second generation bunches too – three weeks later than the first, but they caught up well during the great summer. For whites there’s more tension than in the 2015s – maybe less than in 2017, let’s see – but we think 2016 a very good vintage. The last wines are still in barrel with bottling envisaged for Spring.”
The wines…
High quality at this address – at this stage of elevage a number of the wines are more impressive than delicious – but there are also fabulously delicious wines to be found here too!
2016 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… This is on a bentonite fining at the moment, in tank, after 1 year in barrel with 20% new.
Quite a deep yellow aromatic, faintly herbed. Good volume and fine intensity of flavour here – its a calm wine despite good acidity. Tasty enough… the finish is very good
2016 Savigny-lès-Beaune
At the same stage of elevage as the Bourgogne, in tank, for bottling on 3-4/weeks. Two blocks; sandy Peuillets, the other on the plateau of Goulardes/Goudoulettes – 7 barrels, but 60 are expected…
Also deep yellow. This has a more attractive nose of depth with a vibration of reduction. Wider, more energy, good texture though, this really growing in intensity. This is very good, though with just hint more sucrosity and it would be fabulous..
2016 Meursault
This was bottled last week
A good aromatic depth and even an attractive floral note too. Wide, great texture, layers of flavour, fine weight of flavour too. Richness cut with energy. Excellent… though to wait a little for…
In barrel until January then bottling in Spring. The vines between Poruzots and Genevrières
A little more width, less depth, but finer Meursault aromas – loveky. Open, delicate, but complex and with a steel as the intensity rises. A little finishing rigour but this is my new favourite – delicious and it will only get better – and a lovely florality to the finish too.
2016 Meursault Clos des Grands Charrons Monopole
More than 1 hectare. High on the hill, stony here – ‘The same altitude as Perrières.’.
Fresh, spiced – a very inviting nose. This has lots of volume, but structure too – it’s precise and pure, it needs a little more time for delicious – but it will get there. Excellent!
A bourgogne after a great Meursault villages? And one that costs over €30? There’s a plot in Meursault Perrières that was a quarry hole and later refilled. They had the right to plant but INAO said only with a Bourgogne label. The plot sits directly behind the wall of the Clos des Perrières. It was planted in 1977, delivering about 3,000 bottles.
Very attractive, wide, less depth than Limozin but this nose has an attractively sweet invitation. Super volume, delicious, pure, complex, insistent flavour. This is brilliant. Bravo!
2016 Meursault 1er Charmes
Dessous – lower slopes. They made their first test, separating the Charmes in 12 and then went for it with 13 for the first time.
Not so wide, but, high, deep and with some aromatic intensity. Fresh, layered flavour, growing in the mouth, fine freshness, this is really excellent, a faint spice impression throughout the flavours. More persistent finishing, little waves of flavour… not showing overt richness just a very fine balance.
2016 Meursault 1er Charmes-Dessus
From the upper slopes – across from Perrières.
A tighter nose but with a subtle and very engaging complexity. More volume, but also more weight, really a large impression in the mouth – melting its flavours across the palate. A wine like this isn’t for drinking today, but I can really appreciate it – like a melting rock over the palate. The finish a little floral again, and so long…. wait, wait!
2016 Meursault 1er Perrières
2 parcels that touch but 2-3 days difference in maturity; the old vines are the sooner. The two are always vinified separately, no batonnage today which is quite different to previous vintages.
A little more volume with a sweetness of fruit aroma – yellow citrus – almost a faint smoke of spice. Ultra-wide, ultra-mineral, sleek, growing in intensity. Wow wine. For all that, like the Charmes-Dessus, it will require patience. Drink the Terroir d’Exception first as it’s already delicious, but this is more an experience than delicious for now.
Old vines here. From the Meursault side of Puligny. Above the Combettes of Jacques Prieur
More depth of aroma, yellow fruit – an impression lf deliciousness. Large-scaled, melting, fresh flavour – delicious flavour. You should/could drink this before most of the Meursaults – more open, less ‘serious’ vs the Perrières
Bought half a hectare in 2013 so here is the second vintage. Lots of work in the vines to replace fatigued vines et-cetera and to put in new posts and a little organic fertiliser the ‘re-dynamise.’
Here wide aromas the only wine that suggsts a little crème patisserie. Ooh, but what a beauty in the mouth – direct, ingraining, intense, waves of finishing flavour. Great wine!
Plain east facing, early ripening with lots of stones. An old quarry delivering 4 barrels worth – usually. From young vines, just 10 years old. This, like all the 1ers is still in barrel
Not the largest nose but a good volume of aroma. Almost a little sweet green fruit – more greengage than lime. Volume in the mouth, intensity – really intense, but a silky texture and purity of flavour. Small points of complexity all the way into the finish – almost as big as the Charmes-Dessus but melting across the palate more attractively today – bravo! A tenacious finish too.