MEURSAULT 1ER CRU CHARMES 2010

Production area

Meursault is a Côte de Beaune appellation. The village is one of the most famous in Burgundy. In fact, Meursault is the starting point for the "Golden Triangle", an area renowned for producing the finest white wines and bordered by the villages of Chassagne-Montrachet and Puligny-Montrachet. The vineyard is best known for its white wines, which account for 97% of production.According to Saint Jacob; in Burgundy the word “Charmes” may designate ancient communal fields that were once cultivated then allowed to go fallow, if taken in the sense of “chaume”, or stubble field. It may also refer to woods of hornbeam (“charme”) trees.

Origins

The soil in Les Charmes is rather deep and is composed of alternating layers of clay and limestone covered with a considerable amount of calcareous gravel. This lends a great deal of fruit and richness to the wine.The subsoil is mainly clay and limestone. This wine is made from different South-East facing vines located in the southern part of the village.

Varietal

100% Chardonnay

Tasting notes

COLOUR : Gold.
NOSE : Lightly toasted citrus aromas.
PALATE : Bold attack with good substance on the mid palate. This wine is rich and opulent. Lovely length on the finish.

Vinification and maturing

The grapes were handpicked and hand sorted as soon as they arrived at the winery. They were then pressed in a pneumatic press which allows for perfect extraction of the juice without over pressing the grapes.
The wine was vinified and aged in barrels with a proportion of 20% new oak and aged on the lees for 14 months with occasional stirring.

Food and wine pairing

Lobster, crayfish, poultry or veal in cream sauce, foie gras and blue cheese.

Serving suggestions

12 to 14°C

Ageing potential

12 years

Vintage : 2010

Winter in the Côte de Beaune in 2010 was long and cold, and followed by a very reserved spring that lead to a difficult flowering around mid-June. All in all, the beginning of summer was quite chilly and we already knew from there that yields would be lower than the previous years. Luckily, the months of August and September went through with a good amount of sunshine and allowed us to get good concentrations as well as a good sugar-acidity balance. All these conditions reunited contributed to turn this vintage into a true connoisseur one. This vintage perfectly fit into our philosophy of work at Ropiteau Frères. Indeed, the exceptional health of the grapes harvested and their good concentration only required the minimum of intervention in our cellar during vinifications. In the end, wines are the way we love them: neat and precise, very balanced. 2010 is a vintage to be kept and aged, because the wines can still be a little closed at the opening. Nevertheless, with a little aeration, they unveil a great complexity tinged with a high purity. This is the hallmark of a great vintage!

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