Meursault
Le Limozin 2020
Immediately adjacent to Volnay, the village of Meursault marks the beginning of
the great white wines of the Côte de Beaune.
Origin
With nearly 400 ha of vines Meursault stands out as one of Burgundy’s key appellations. Its vineyards almost always face east and cover gentle slopes. From among the approximately thirty vineyards that enjoy a prime location on the slope, some are known for their exceptional white “Villages” wines, such as Le Limozin which is a fine example with wines that often boast more substance than a Premier Cru.
"Limozin" is a very good example because it reveals as much, if not more, consistency than a Premier Cru. It is also nestled between two prestigious climates classified as premier cru "Les Genevrières" and "Les Charmes".
As is often the case in Burgundy, the vineyard names often refer to a geographical feature. “Limozin” refers to a stream that once flowed alongside the vineyard.
Viticulture
Grape variety: chardonnay
Soils: mostly silty.
Orientation: South/East
Surface area under vine: 0.338 ha
Pruning: Guyot system
Yield: 52 hL/ha
Average age of the vine: 47 years old.
Vinification
Harvest date: 25 August 2020.
The grapes were handpicked.
At the winery: the whole bunches of grapes were gently pressed for 2½ hours. The temperature of the must was brought down to 12°C then was immediately transferred to barrels (450L) with no settling to preserve a maximum of lees. Long fermentation using indigenous yeasts for added complexity and freshness.
Ageing
Maturation: aged for 17 months with no racking or stirring to bring out all of this wine’s minerality. A proportion of 30% new French oak barrels.
Barrels: French oak barrels that had been toasted at low temperatures for a long time to impart a subtle, delicate touch of oak were used.
Bottling
Bottling: the wine was bentonite fined and very gently filtered before being bottled using gravity in March 2022.
Number of bottles: 2,442.
Vintage
Balanced and concentrated
The harvests happened back-to-front! They began with the reds ripening before the whites. The harvest was very disease-free but we had to eliminate sunburnt berries, especially in the case of the Pinot Noir vines as the Chardonnays had coped better with the heat. Quality was definitely good, but relatively low juice yields has resulted in Pinot Noirs with high colour and aromatic intensity. On the other hand, the Chardonnay vines produced adequate yields with a good balance of sugar and acidity. This optimal ripeness enabled us to harvest the red grapes in certain plots according to the ‘vendange entière’ approach, where stalks are fermented along with the grapes.
'Lots of lovely colour in the reds, with very high polyphenol content, firm tannins and excellent levels of acidity. Looks set to be a year with great cellaring potential. Summer fruit coulis notes definitely have the upper hand in this year’s vintage! The whites are nicely-balanced, but it’s too early to be more precise. Watch this space…’ Grégory Patriat.
Ageing potential: From 5 to 7 years.
Awards
Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France 2023 - 93/100
JamesSuckling.com - 95/100
Tasting notes
The color is golden yellow. This wine develops aromas of yellow fruits, white flowers associated with lemony notes. On the palate, the wine is very open, silky with a lot of minerality on the finish.
