2022 Domaine Michelot, Meursault Genevrières, Premier Cru White Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, France.
The gorgeous, concentrated and deep golden hued 2022 Michelot Genevrières is full of everything joyous about Meursault, mental laced, textural without being over weight and long in finish with lemony curd, crisp apple lime blossom, peach flesh, Asian pear and white fig fruits, along with a saline freshness, clove spice, unsweetened honey, hazelnut, chalky oyster shell and subtle toast. Collectively here this wine is brilliant, seamless and still has a fine tension, there’s a lot of class in the glass and this is what top notch Chardonnay, especially a pedigreed White Burgundy, is all about. One of my first loves in Burgundy was Meursault Genevrières, and I highly rate the wines made from this special vineyard site, how it has not become a full fledged Grand Cru is still a mystery to me! Genevrieres, as widely written, is a Premier Cru-rated climat of the Meursault appellation in the Côte de Beaune, planted entirely to Chardonnay, and is one of Meursault’s most prestigious vineyard sites just south of Volnay and Pommard in the Côte de Beaune. Meursault is the most extensive southerly white wine commune of the Côte-d’Or, and one of the most sought after wines, as witnessed when seeing the prices of Coche Dury and or Roulot. The perfect south-easterly exposure and the rocky, stony soils contribute greatly to the remarkable finesse of which the wines of Meursault are prized for, as well as the depth, as seen here. Set on classic clay and limestone with a chalky stone underpinning and sustainably grown 100% old clone Chardonnay, the Genevrières, a rare offering, transmits terroir beautiful into the bottle!
The Domaine Michelot, as recently reported here in my previous review, according to their importer Massanois, has been in the Michelot family for more than six generations, with Jean-François Mestre and young Nico, the seventh generation, running the show here now, and, having increased in size over the years, now comprises more than 19 hectares of vines, with Meursault being the star parcels here. These Meursault vineyard plots are made up of a number of “terroirs” that Massanois adds are parcels of land with individual characteristics of soil, drainage and orientation and (show) their distinct personalities in a diverse range of wines. The Meursault Premier Cru Genevrières, talk about pedigree, as noted above, faces mostly South with a 20% grade, which gives a ripe exposure and venting, helping ensure perfect grapes at harvest. Since around 2015, Domaine Michelot has seen a real lift in quality, I suspect has come from focusing on each individual parcel and employing a no oak or low oak regime, almost across the whole line of the Chardonnay offerings here. Interestingly, Michelot has been experimenting with stone fermenters and, cement vat, stainless steel, plus a bit of 500L neutral oak Puncheon, well used hogsheads and even glass globes, which are now used either by themselves or in combination for raising their Meursault, which has allowed for transparency, depth and leesy charm, all without clouding the wines with too much wood. As noted before, Raphael Coche, of the legendary Domaine Coche Dury, says that he doesn’t understand why Domaine Michelot is “not as well-known as us,” it’s a clear indication that Domaine Michelot is doing something exceptionally right! So be sure to keep an eye out for these Michelot wines, and especially this Genevrières!
($150-175 Est.) 95 Points, grapelive