Tasted in Meursault with Emmanuel Escutenaire and Stéphane Follin-Arbelet, 22 October 2019.

Domaine de Château du Meursault
Rue du Moulin Foulot
21190 Meursault
Tel: +33 3 80 26 22 75
www.chateau-meursault.com

There are now an impressive 67 hectares of vines here as the château has taken on the fermage of vines from the family de Merode of Ladoix – the remaining part after DRC leased some of their vines in Corton. The château is now starting the process to organic viticulture, and already ‘significantly reduced’ the amount of sulfur that was used in 2019.

Emmanuel on 2019:
“This year we were very happy with the quality, but with 40-45% less harvest. For that reason it’s a concentrated vintage that resembles very few others…”

Emmanuel on 2018:
“For the reds we have a lot of concentration, dark fruit too. We had early and easy flowering with no accidents from the climate, so it was important to have the 39-40 hl/ha for reds and 50 for whites as – we had the right amount crop. 24 August was the first small harvest, fully underway the 26^th – the earliest harvest on record at the domaine. We think we have wines that need a little longer elevage as there is so much concentration – we won’t start bottling the reds until January, and apart from the Bourgogne we will start with the whites in February.”

The wines…

There is only one thing that these wines lacked during my late-October tasting – and that was a little charm! There is sullen concentration for some of the whites and dark saturated colours for the reds – but in a vin-de-garde style. Longer elevage will certainly make some difference, but the 2017s were much more attractive at the same stage of elevage, so in a wider context I would still look to taste again before making my purchasing decisions…

2018 Bourgogne du Chateau
All harvested by hand – it wasn’t always like that here.
Deep colour. Deep, dark-fruited and faintly spiced. Supple, concentrated, nicely growing core of fruit and modestly, indeed finely tannic. The finish is the most open and tasty part.

2018 Savigny-lès-Beaune
Golardes and Goulelette – on the plateau at 300m so usually the last harvested – 6 September!
Hmm also dark and spicy – just a little extra freshness here. More open and with even finer tannin – more intensity of finishing flavour – this is very good in the finish. This should be lovely.

2018 Ladoix Les Chaillots
Ex Merode of more than 60 yo vines
Here’s a lovely nose, floral and inviting. Nice in the mouth, darker fruit, freshness and almost delicacy – lovely mouth-watering flavour, faintly astringent with no grain. Really excellent and with a flourish in the finish – the nicest yet!

2018 Pommard Platières
Approaching 4 hectares here, ex Merode
Again a darkness of aroma – an impression of smoothness. More direct and fresh, astringency from the tannin, long, the mid-palate onwards sings nicely this will reward some patience, but good wine.

2018 Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Les Peuillets
1.6 hectares. Sandy soil opposite Bouchard’s cuverie, Usually one of first parcels harvested but not in 2018 as the maturity was a little blocked.
A more open nose here – a certain elegance. Fresh – more open than the last, mobile, nicely balanced with fresh dark fruit. Here showing a little oak – but not too much. The finish is one of fresh concentration and is very tasty, with some late arriving tannin…

2018 Beaune 1er Teurons
Half a hectare next to the parcel of the Hospices – a hot place that can suffer a little in the dryness – there’s not always a lot of juice.
A little more airy this is a nicely attractive nose – inviting. Wide, plenty of energy here – mouth-filling energy, a little drag from the tannin but no grain. A growing finishing intensity showing a little floral aspect in the finish – again like most, patience will be rewarded. Vins de garde here.

2018 Beaune 1er Toussants
Over 1 hectare of old vines. Third vintage.
Dark fruited, a fine floral intertwined in the dark fruit. Hmm – a slightly different shape, fuller, rounder, lovely complexity here – easily my favourite wine so far – melting over the palate, a finish to die for. Excellent wine!

2018 Beaune 1er Fevres
0.70 hectares, a continuation of Cent Vignes, with the same vine age, indeed it’s the same rows of vines, it’s just the higher part, all worked by the same person.
Some aromatic volume, a little less definition today. Full and more overtly fresh, wide, without the tannin I’d probably say elegant, but this has a lovely, sneakily open and fresh, finishing fruit. Today I prefer the previous, but maybe this in the future.

2018 Beaune 1er Grèves Les Trios Journeaux
Fourth vintage for this.
Not the most powerful of these aromatically, but here’s a fine and elegant freshness, floral too – a fine invitation. Nicely incisive – the first – fresh-fruited with a lovely line, this has an easy but classy style – long finishing. The most complete wine yet – excellent – but I’d still drink the Toussants in preference today – in 5 years probably not!

2018 Volnay 1er Clos des Chênes
2.5 hectares – two large parcels that are separately vinified.
Hmm – this has a super nose, darker fruited but a beautiful fruit. More saline complexity here – wide, class is showing here – melting. Like most the structure is to the fore but the finishing notes are fine.

2018 Aloxe-Corton 1er Les Marechaudes
Ex-Merode
A freshness and line to this nose. Mouth-filling, widening, nicely textured here, with a good and open style of fruit. The first where the intensity rises in the finish before slowly fading – classy wine.

2018 Pommard 1er Clos des Epenots
A brooding intensity and silky smooth is the impression. Full, a wine that needs to relax more but the flavours are slowly and persistently opening in the finish – a relatively brutal implementation today – this will live for a long time – the finish is fine…

2018 Corton
Here a mix of Rognets and Vergennes.
A nose that’s relatively tight compared to most. Classy, cool fruited, not so demonstrative today, but there is an ease despite the concentration, the finish is broad and delicious, chewy and fine – excellent.

2018 Corton Marechaudes
1.5 hectares ex-Merode – first vintage – a new tank made for this one, vines over 50 years old.
The nose is discreet but seems very finely textured and suggesting a hint of floral. Wide, fine texture, layered, mobile. Almost juicy in the finish and very long. Class here – it’s more than a good start!

Les Blancs:

2018 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… Probably for bottling in December – was racked together just before the harvest.
Ooh – that’s a punchy, inviting nose! Mouth-filling, some Meursault flavour here, slowly fading on the palate – for the label this is excellent!

2018 Savigny-lès-Beaune
The same location as for the red – sandy Peuillets, the other on the plateau of Goulardes/Goudoulettes – normally 60 barrels are expected…
Fresh, a hint of toast for this one. More mineral, nice energy, this is mobile and tasty wine – perhaps a slightly reductive impression in the middle but long and golden-fruited. Tasty wine.

2018 Meursault Le Limozin
The vines between Poruzots and Genevrières.
A sweetness and depth to this nose. Driving, love the shape of this – there’s a suggestion of barrel, but not much. Super Meursault – excellent.

2018 Meursault Clos des Grands Charrons Monopole
More than 1 hectare. High on the hill, stony here – ‘The same altitude as Perrières.’
A more vibrant and attractive nose – a little minerality. Driving, saline, great energy, less overt Meursault but more overt flavour – until the finish. Proper delicious Meursault

2018 Beaune Blanchefleurs
Young parcel, this the 3rd harvest.
Yellow fruited freshness – not a nose of impact but still one of invitation. Round, a nice shape and just enough ‘cut’ there is definition here. This is very tasty again…

2018 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. They have declassified their least favoured parcels of Charmes into the villages.
Like most Charmes this year – a quiet but attention-holding nose – there is anticipation here. This has volume and a fine ginger spice, a calm wine, complex and attention-holding like the nose.

2018 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.
A little extra depth of aroma here – fresh. Chalky, concentrated with a certain discretion before slowly leaching, changing, mineral flavour takes over and brings you into the finish. Very discrete today but with concentration and perfect balance…

2018 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Champs Canet
Old vines here. From the Meursault side of Puligny. Above the Combettes of Jacques Prieur
A more introspective nose – faintly citrussed complexity but discrete. The shape is different, Concentrated more direction, a touch of oak in the flavour – density of flavour here. The finish opens beautifully though, it’s long and very tasty – very tasty!

2018 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Champs Gains
Bought half a hectare in 2013 so here is the fourth 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.’ 30-35 hl/ha for both of the Pulignys
Pure, mineral, citrus but again discrete. A little more open than the last. More intensity of fruit flavour here, density again, but long and very tasty.

2018 Corton-Vergennes
Plain east facing, planted in 2007. Early ripening with lots of stones. An old quarry delivering 4 barrels worth – usually. From young vines, just 10 years old.
A faint firework reduction to this one, but with a nice, more green, citrus and flaintly floral note. Round, so very silky, mineral, complex – ooh that is so very good in the middle – open with freshness but still a little dense like all today. I think Excellent without a doubt though!

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