MEURSAULT > BOUCHARD Ainé & Fils

MEURSAULT 2020

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2022 2023

Varietal

100% Pinot Noir.

Tasting notes

Colour: A deep red colour.
Nose: Pleasant notes of cherry, strawberry, vanilla and a hint of caramelised cinnamon apple.
Palate: Velvety and immediately round in the mouth, full of fruit, followed by very elegant cherry aromas. Vanilla notes appear then thanks to the elegant presence of wood. A full-bodied structure, well balanced between tannins and acidity and a very long persistency.

Food and wine pairing

A great partner to all poultry, including turkey and duck, but also ham, a beef carpaccio and beef in general. Try it also with terrines, pâtés and cheeses such as French Brie, or with a dessert such as a red berry salad.

Serving suggestions

Serve ideally at 14-16 °C. (57-61°F.).

Ageing potential

5 to 8 years, in good storage conditions.

Origins

A village appellation in the Côte de Beaune, harvested in the delimited parts of the village of Meursault. The appellation covers around 447 hectares and produces 95% white wines, which are among the best in Burgundy.

Along with Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet, the village forms what is known as "The Golden Triangle", reputed to produce the finest white wines in existence. Here, Chardonnay finds a perfect terroir, gently sloping and ideally exposed to the east or south, composed of limestone and marl.

Around 30% of the appellation's surface area is classified as 1er Cru, made up of 19 different climats.

Vinification and maturing

The manual harvest is sorted in the vineyard and then brought to the winery in grapes box where a further selection takes place.

The temperature is lowered to about 8-10°C (46-50°F.) to increase the amount of maceration time prior to fermentation. Fermentation takes place over five days with selected yeasts, punching down and pumping (twice a day).

Maturing process in 100% barrels -25% new one) during 12 months. 100% malo-lactic fermentation done.

Vintage : 2020

The current public health crisis has certainly marked this year’s harvest, which nonetheless has been able to go ahead! Despite the year’s record temperatures and lack of rainfall, there is been no lack of quality, although yields are down, with an especially mixed picture with regard to reds. However, these have generally been very well-balanced. Overall, we have seen nice levels of acidity, promising good aging potential…

All over Burgundy, 2020 was notable for its mildness and low rainfall. After a winter with no serious frosts, we went straight into a spring dominated by sunny, dry weather, resulting in very early bud break. Infrequent outbreaks of rain in June and July were not enough to stave off water shortages. Very high summer temperatures combined with intense sun exposure levels led to the vines gradually falling prey to hydric stress, causing delays to fruit ripening before harvest-time.

Once again, the vegetative cycle was shortened, being almost three weeks ahead of 2019’s. Thankfully, the harvest was saved by the relative cool of the nights. The harvest was of marvellous quality but there was very little juice in the red grapes (reduction of 30 to 50%), and reasonable potential alcohol, despite the heat. The whites, on the other hand, coped very well with these extreme conditions and yields were very good.

Relatively poor yields for the reds, normal yields for the whites. Some appellations achieved excellent levels of optimal ripeness, with 50% of grapes harvested with the ‘vendange entière’ (no destemming) approach.

Harvest started on the 21st August for the Côte Chalonnaise, more specifically, the Givry reds and then on the 23rd of August the first Chardonnay grapes were handpicked in the shape of the Beaune 1er cru Les Marconnets.

Winemaker Laurent Mairet first tasting impressions of the 2020 vintage:

‘A very promising year for the whites with a fine balance between acidity and alcohol and intense white fruit aromas. Alcoholic fermentation in barrels lasted four weeks. Millerandage affected the reds leading to less juice but nice colour and distinct red berry aromas. With its generous tannins, this year looks set to be one to cellar.

However, there are some small variations from terroir to terroir. Côte Chalonnaise reds are characterized by jammy notes while the Côte Beaune have good aromatic intensity and nice colour. The Côte de Nuits is giving us some lovely cuvées just now with summer fruit notes and wonderfully velvety tannins.’