2020 Domaine Michelot, Meursault “Affine en Gres” White Burgundy, France.
The beautiful pale gold, subtle, invitingly pure and stylish 2020 “Affine en Gres” AOC Meursault by Domaine Michelot is a very unique version of this famous appellation that was, as the winery puts it, Elevage en Gres, or aged in stone, seeing a maturation without any oak, in large ceramic jarres between 400L and 1200L in size. Interestingly, Michelot also does some aging in glass globes too, with everything done in an effort to produce more dynamic wines with exceptional clarity of form, which is wonderfully on display here, showing off Chardonnay and terroir in its best light, allowing a seductive tension and mineral tone to take center stage. The grapes are whole cluster pressed and settled before going to vat to aged on the yeast for close to a year, going through natural malos. The palate, which is finely balanced and rounded, is deliciously charming with a concentration of fruit, leaning on lemony citrus, golden apple, Asian pear, quince and golden fig fruits, along with a touch of flinty reduction, leesy brioche, almond, unsweetened honey, clove spice and chalky wet stone. The aromatics are muted at first but come more alive with air adding some white blossoms along with seashore, salinity and oyster shell notes that perfectly fit with the wine’s theme. I would definitely like to explore more of the Michelot offerings, with a range of whites from Santenay, Puligny-Montrachet and other Meursault efforts that have caught my eye and reds from the Côte de Beaune sites.
The Domaine Michelot, which was all new to me, according to their importer Massanois, has been in the Michelot family for more than six generations, with Nicolas and his son Jean-François Mestre 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, as I note here in this lovely Affine en Gres bottling. Intriguingly, 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 in the heart of Meursault, which certainly got my attention as I focused on this wine. The wines, here, since 2015 have taken a huge step up, as many critics have noted, which are now crafted with a precise hand and looking to preserve freshness, they are bottled unfined and unfiltered, with a new oak regime that has been carefully dialed down, allowing the terroir to shine through with transparency. This rarity shows off the ripe and depth of the vintage, but stays retrained and lively throughout, this is exciting White Burgundy. If these wines are not on your radar, they really should be and I’m certainly going to keep digging into the collection here!
($149 Est.) 94 Points, grapelive