MEURSAULT > BOUCHARD Ainé & Fils

MEURSAULT 2016

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2022 2023

Varietal

100% Chardonnay.

Tasting notes

Colour: Bright golden yellow with green tints.

Nose: Open, woody aromas accompanied by vanilla, toast, russet apples and hazelnuts.

Palate: Strong alcohol content with a woody quality and hints of vanilla. Round, smooth, velvety…

Food and wine pairing

This great Burgundy white wine is the perfect accompaniment to fine fish in sauce or swimming, shellfish, smoked salmon or snail puff pastry. On the cheese side, it goes perfectly with fresh cow's milk or a nice piece of Comté cheese.

Serving suggestions

Ideally served at a temperature between 12 and 14°C / 53°F.

Ageing potential

This great white Burgundy will keep for 8 to 10 years in the cellar in good 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 grapes were pressed slowly, as a whole crop, in a pneumatic press to obtain a must of the highest possible quality. The must underwent a 24-hour settling process before being racked for alcoholic fermentation. The lees were stirred once a week to develop the wine's roundness and aromatic potential. The wine was then matured in oak barrels for 16 months (20% new barrels).

Vintage : 2016

Our dearest Burgundy region could be the embodiment of that famous motto: Fluctuat nec mergitur...because for several years now it’s been suffering the whims of the weather and has always been capable of producing great wines out of it. Once again, the vintage 2016 will be a tangible proof!

Everything started from a very mild winter...maybe too mild to be honest. Actually, we should have been more wary of that sign for it was the warmest winter the region was going through since 1900. Sometimes the gap in the temperatures compared to the seasonal norms exceeded a 100%. In addition, the rain fell in excess particularly in Côte d’Or and as a consequence the lack of sun was really important.

Winter really came 3 months late, in March, but didn’t settle as the bursting of the first buds appeared at the beginning of April. So, as spring really settled, it also brought its share of climatic disasters: first, it was a hail storm that hit the South of the Mâconnais region; then, the most tragic freezing night in April, 26^th stroke almost all the region from the Grand Auxerrois to Côte Chalonnaise; and finally, 2 more hail storms on the 13^th and 27^th May lashed over Chablis, leaving the region with almost no hope of harvest.

This year, until summer, we went through very difficult times and had to hope for the vines to find the strength to grow again. Somehow our wish was granted, and the vegetative cycle started again, with great gaps from one plot to another. Due to all the climatic events, the flowering came late (mid-June) but didn’t last long thanks to hot temperatures.

From the month of July, the extremes reversed: the temperatures as well as the amount of sunshine exceeded the seasonal norms. Fortunately for the grape, it lasted until the end of October, allowing for a good maturity.

Harvest began on September, 20^th and spread over a month thanks to the great weather conditions, leaving us the opportunity to harvest each plot at its best.

Finally, the grapes we harvested were of great quality and although the plots hit by hail or frost gave almost nothing, the other had good yields.

During the vinifications, the vintage quickly revealed its high quality. We are expecting the wines to be well-balanced, with a good structure and a lot of freshness as well as finesse.