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Wine Description
The Story
The hard Comblanchian limestone which disappears deep underground around Nuits-Saint-Georges reappears here where, as one moves southward, red wines give way to whites. Nowhere in the Côte de Beaune does the Chardonnay grape do better than it does here. Along the village streets are a succession of little houses belonging to the vineyard workers, mixed with more imposing dwellings. The stone-work on the 53 metre-high church tower looks like it could be the work of fairies. The excellent soils were planted with vines by the monks of Cîteaux as early as 1098. A small amount of red wine is produced here, though white definitely dominates. Meursault's appellation of origin status dates from 1937.
The best soils are found at heights of 260-270 metres with exposures along an arc between east and south. They consist of Jurassic marls and marlylimestones. There are some patches of magnesian limestone. The ancient callovien limestone and argovien marls shave the crus.
There are observable but minor differences between the wines of the different " Climats " (named plots). In most cases, Meursault is greeny-gold in colour or canary yellow, leaning towards bronze as it ages. Limpid and brilliant, it sometimes exhibits silvery highlights. Its bouquet has strong aromas of ripe grapes. The young wine is redolent of toasted almonds and hazelnuts in a floral (mayflower, elder, bracken, lime, verbena) and mineral (flint) setting. Butter, honey, and citrus fruits are also present. On the palate it is rich and fat with a cheerful and appealing taste of hazelnut. Unctuousness and freshness are in silky balance. Long and structured, it needs time to mature - this is a great white wine for laying down.
Its aromatic power and exceptional balance between fat and acidity make it an aristocrat among burgundies. Unsurprisingly, it has a natural affinity with noble and fine-textured fish or meat, which it can match without overpowering. It performs a similar feat with joints of veal or poultry in white sauce, which are rendered sublime by the wine's unctuous texture and long, distinguished acidity. Still better are grilled lobster, crawfish, or king prawns in sauce - dishes whose aromatic intensity and crisp texture match the lively and supple balance of the wine. Even blue cheeses and goose liver take to it immediately.
Serving temperature : 12 to 14 °C.
Wine Information
Weather/ Autumn 2003: October cool and wet. November to January mainly mild. Rainfall normal apart from January, some snow towards the end of the month. February abnormally mild during the first two weeks followed by abnormally cold. March got off to a normal start, cool with moderate rainfall. The first tears appeared on the vines around 20th March
- April was typical although the pluviometer registered levels below normal. Budbreak trouble-free. No frosts.
- Early May was very cool, (temperatures between 12° and 14°). The vines got off to an even start. Five to six leaves by 6th May. The second half was summery, (temperatures between 20° and 25°). Fruit setting was abundant but buds radically reduced to leave no more than 6 per vine.
- The first flowers appeared on 7th June. Weather sunny and very hot during flowering.
- Early July was cool, stormy and very unsettled. Temperatures were abnormally low (15° to 20°). August was far from summery, rain frequent, and temperatures never high. During the night of 24th/25th a hail storm severely damaged all our Volnay parcels, (Clos des Chênes, Champans, Santenots). Damage was widespread both to bunches and leaves. The maturity of the grapes appeared threatened. Fortunately, September was very sunny and windy. Rot did not set into the wounds caused by the hail and the undamaged grapes managed to ripen reasonably well.
The Harvest
Harvesting began on September 22nd, terminating on 29th with the exception of Monthélie-les-Duresses, which were picked on October 6th.
- 22nd September : Clos des Chênes, first Volnay Santenots
- 23rd September : Volnay Santenots, Désirée then Volnay Champans
- 24th September : Genevrières, Charmes (young plants), Volnay Santenots
- 25th September : Clos de la Barre (young plants), En la Barre, Volnay Santenots
- 26th September : Charmes (old vines), Puligny Champgain, the remainder of Volnay Santenots
- 27th September : Goutte d'Or, Luraules, Perrières
- 28th September : Petite Perrières, the remainder of Clos de la Barre
- 29th September : Montrachet, the last of Charmes, Petite Montagne
- 6th October : Monthélie Blanc and Monthélie-les-Duresses
White yield high (45 to 55 hl/ha), reds low (25 hl/ha) apart from Monthélie (45 hl/ha).
Healthy sanitary conditions in the Chardonnay. Oidium, although particularly virulent in Burgundy this year was kept under control in our vineyards, damage to the grape bunches was limited.
The Volnay Pinot Noir crus were rigorously sorted, initially on the vine then in the winery. In the end the berries which went into the vats were highly satisfactory.
The Monthélie grapes, free from rot, were placed straight into vats, no sorting was necessary.
Vinification
Red Wines : We took our time over this vintage, punching the cap and pumping over just once a day. Vatting lasted around 3 weeks. No major problems encountered despite the 14° natural in certain cuvées. Fermentation was long and even, pressing out light, followed by the blending of the free-run and the press wine. Acidic balance was excellent and malic acid levels high
White Wines : Wonderful grapes, perfectly ripe in every parcel. Acidity within the norm (2002, 2000), the juice showing between 12.7° and 13.8° natural. Pressing was gentle and grapes whole. Light must racking before barrelling. Fermentation in vats, a rapid start but the end of fermentation very slow, (some wines still not finished), [15th December]).
The Wines
The Reds :
They are surprisingly powerful, rich and high in colour. The fruit is pure and clean and red to black in colour. Plenty of fat, tannins fine and ripe . No malo as yet, (15th December), and you can feel the highly malic aspect of these wines on the final. They should become relatively tender and fatty with ample fruitiness, similar to the style between 1992 and 1993. A lovely year though not quite up to 2003, 2002 or 1999.
The Whites :
Always rather difficult to evaluate at this time of year, (December 2004) although they all show an interesting purity of fruit which we found in the 2000 wines, fresh, average body on elegance and should finish malo with classical balance. Could be a great vintage.
Dominique Lafon
November, 2004
Vintage 2004
2004 VINTAGE in Burgundy
2004 will be remembered as the year of wonderful surprises. The month of September was hot, dry and sunny contributing to an excellent harvest which in turn gave birth to fruity, elegant wines.
The harvest started on the 13th September in Burgundy, the Mâconnais and the Côte Chalonnaise during a long awaited spell of mild weather following a summer characterised by climatic instability.
These conditions slowed down the colouring of the grapes, disturbed the start of ripening and provided ideal conditions for the development of oidium. Luckily the return of a long period of warmth and sun from the beginning of September onwards accelerated the ripening process with a sharp increase in sugars.
This summery weather accompanied by a warm drying wind also allowed for the vines to maintain a satisfactory sanitary state. The hailstorms unfortunately destroyed a number of important parcels in the Mâconnais and in the vineyards of the Côte d?Or at different stages of their vegetative cycle. Contrary to 2003, nature showed herself to be kind and the wine-growers had to go ahead with intensive green harvesting to control the yields, taking off the damaged grapes or leaf-thinning.
In mid-september estimations put the forthcoming harvest at about 10% above that of an average harvest.
Although the particularly successful 2002 and 2003 vintages are tasting beautifully at the moment, it is still to early to define the profile for the 2004 vintage.
We will have to wait until after various tastings in November in Beaune, Chablis and in the Auxerrois region before getting a preliminary idea of the qualities of the 2004 harvest.
