Burgundy Wine

Expert Review - Vintage 2021

Burghound 88 Points | From four separate parcels scattered around the commune.
Attractively fresh aromas of various dark berries, violet and discreet spice wisps introduce racy, delineated and utterly delicious middleweight flavors that conclude in a lingering bitter pit fruit-inflected finale that delivers solid length. This will need to develop better depth to merit the upper end of my projected range.

Anne Sigaut told me that 2021 "had the growing season from hell because even putting aside the problems that the frost caused, the constant wet weather made our life difficult. It was often impossible to get tractors in the vineyards to treat and the vines didn't have their normal resistance to what turned out to be very intense disease pressure. We soldiered on but in the middle of July, I confess to wondering if we were going to have a harvest. As it turned out, we did and it began on the 20th of September. Yields were variable but basically off between 30 and 50% as we rejected a lot of fruit though mostly for being underripe. Potential alcohols came in between 12 and 13% and we chose to vinify lightly to be sure we weren't extracting astringent elements. Funnily enough, the quality of the resulting wines is much better than I imagined and I quite like them. With that said, had you asked me what I thought the quality would be when we started picking, I would have given a different answer!" I agree with Mme Sigaut that her 2021s are really quite good and there are several that are worth your attention.  

Winemaker Description

François de Nicolay succinctly described the 2020 growing season as "dry and hot with enough of both to create at least some degree of hydric stress. There wasn't much disease pressure though and the fruit was super-clean when we arrived at the harvest. We chose to begin picking on the 17th of August and continued through to the 26th and brought in yields that were only about 60% of normal though with better acidities than we obtained in either 2018 or 2019. 

Expert Reviews

Wine Advocate 90 points Opening in the glass with aromas of cherries, berries, loamy soil and peonies, the 2020 Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru Les Vergelesses is medium to full-bodied, with a velvety attack and a deep core of fruit, framed by lively acids and powdery tannins that assert themselves on the finish.  —  Outstanding.

Alan Meadows 90 Points | An earthier and not quite as spicy array is comprised by notes of red and dark berries with a similar plethora of pretty floral nuances. The mouthfeel of the medium weight flavors is again super-sleek thanks to the moderately fine-grained tannins supporting the firm, youthfully austere and sneaky long finale. At least some patience advised. 

Expert Review

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2022 

Neal Martin of VInous writes 90-92 Points | The 2022 Meursault Les Chevalières is matured in 25% new oak 350-liter barrels in order to reduce the wood impact. It is taut and focused on the nose, quite understated at first, with touches of almond and hazelnut. The palate is well-balanced, with impressive concentration on the entry. Quite spicy on the mid-palate with tangy marmalade and ginger, this fans out in a pleasing fashion towards the finish.  Drinking 2025 to 2035.

Bruce Sanderson of Wine Spectator writes 93 Points | Aromas and flavors of white flowers, citronella and hazelnut cream abound, backed by lively acidity. Lip-smacking and fresh, this white persists on the toasty, smoky finish. Drink now through 2028. 

Winemaker Description 

Known to offer a magical balance of smoothness and freshness, Meursault's quality is hard to rival. The village lies in the middle of Côte de Beaune, just south of Volnay. Meursault is said to mean “mouse’s jump” because in the past the plots producing Pinot Noir and those producing Chardonnay were no more than a mouse’s jump from one another. Today the village is almost exclusively Chardonnay. A tiny bit of Pinot Noir is produced here with the best coming from Les Santenots on its northern side near Volnay.

While there are no Grands Crus, Meursault’s numerous acclaimed Premiers Crus can compete with any other top-notch white Burgundy. Some to know are Les Perrières, Les Genevrières, Les Charmes, Le Poruzot, Les Bouchères and Les Gouttes d’Or.

Meursault produces outstanding village level wines as well. In general great Premiers Crus and even village level Meursault (Chardonnay) have enticing aromas of lime peel, tropical fruit, crushed rocks, spice and hazelnut. On the palate there is a wonderful balance of brightness and a seductive length with flavors of white peach, pineapple and citrus.

Expert Reviews

Wine Advocate 92 Points | Notes of cherries, cassis, peonies and rich spices preface the 2020 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Aux Murgers, a medium to full-bodied, velvety and concentrated wine that's lively and penetrating. Like its 2019 predecessor, it's especially seamless and charming. (2020).

Burghound 90 Points | A distinctly earthy and notably ripe nose blends notes of red and dark currant with those of earth, humus and a whiff of the sauvage. The rich, dense and powerful larger-scaled flavors are supported by mouth coating tannins on the chewy, long and moderately rustic finale. This bold and robust effort is very good, but I would recommend it only for the patient. (2020).

Expert Review

Wine Spectator 90 Points | Dense, with blackberry and plum flavors shaded by iron, earth and spice. Shows broad shoulders and dusty tannins, but plenty of fruit too.Vinous 91 points The 2020 Pommard Les Vignots has a lively, minty bouquet that is well defined, quite floral with iris flowers emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, quite structured with a vibrant saline finish that lingers. This must be the "dark horse" of Monnot's range. (2020).