Meursault 1er Cru « Charmes »

Les Charmes is the largest of the Meursault 1er crus, producing white wines with natural opulence, and a gently honeyed, flowerly flavor with delicate nuttiness.  It has less minerality than other major 1er cru vineyards of Meursault.

Notably, the lower part of the vineyard, where our climat is lcoated, is reacting quite favorably to the hot, dry conditions associated with global warming.

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Characteristics of the vintage

Nature smiled generously on us for the 2022 vintage, producing wines of quality and abundance.  Yields were ample for both reds and whites, as we enjoyed seeing full vats and tanks of both Pinot and Chardonnay.    Frost events occurred in April but we avoided any damage of consequence.  A later-than-usual bud burst helped with that pressure, due in part to new pruning techniques which delay tripening.  Summer-like weather in April and early May saw the vines racing ahead and our vineyard team worked hard to keep up.  Flowering was the end of May under largely excellent conditions.  100 mm of rain the last half of June provided significant reserves for the vines to survive that heat and dry conditions of the following six weeks, which saw only about 25 mm of rain and peak temperatures routinely between 30 and 35 degrees C.  We began picking on 25 August and finished on the 31st of the month.  Sugars were remarkably homogenous with hardly any variation around 12.5 %.  pH’s were practically textbook with a tight range among the cuvées.  Fermentation was long and steady for the reds with most being devatted at close to 21 days.   Malos for the whites progressed orderly from primary fermentation but reds were rather variable with some not finishing before summer.  In the end, the vintage produced wines of exceptional balance and a depth of fruit of remarkable purity.  One can’t help but think of the 1999 vintage for a comparison, which was equally generous in quantity and quality, although the quality of the whites may more closely resemble those of 2002.

Vineyard

We farm only 0.125 hectares from vines planted in 1950.

 The soil is reddish brown and has a high clay component that retains moisture but paradoxically does not produce humid, disease promoting conditions.

Service

At home with fish and seafood, its power and structure hold up with the finest cheeses.