White Burgundy

Porusot is one of the finest vineyards in Meursault, with an enviable south-east exposure. Its stony soils make taut, age-worthy Chardonnay.

Claudie makes this in exactly the same way as her Rully Montagne la Folie, but the expression couldn’t be more different. It comes from a parcel in the south-east of the appellation, near Mercurey, and makes a wine with an amplitude and volume that gives the wine weight and power. The fruit leans to nectarines and mangoes and there’s a lusciousness to the length of this wine.

This is a brilliant example of what Claudie Jobard is up to. It is a fine-boned and refined Rully, with the hallmarks of superb quality fruit and a smashingly good vintage. It comes from a south-east facing stony site, not far from the town of Chagny in the northeast of the appellation. It’s a bright, citrusy white, with a fine saline thread of acidity running through the fruit.

Charles Ballot is making some of the greatest Chardonnays in Burgundy these days, and his Bourgogne Blanc is an excellent place to get a taste of the style on offer at this address. 80% of the fruit is sourced from his home village of Meursault, with the balance coming from Puligny-Montrachet.

En Remilly sits at the meeting point of three villages: Chassagne-Montrachet, Puligny-Montrachet, and St-Aubin. The larger part of it falls within St-Aubin, with the tiny part on the Chassagne side enjoying a superb position - next to Chevalier-Montrachet and just above Le Montrachet. At 300m altitude, with very little topsoil, Bruno’s two parcels (one of which touches Chevalier-Montrachet) make a magnificent wine: concentrated, opulent, mineral and energetic, with a precision you only find in Chardonnay grown on limestone.

An energetic and vibrant Bourgogne Blanc: it comes from parcels across Santenay and St-Aubin, wonderful fleshy fruit on the mid-palate paves the way for an impressively long finish. It is deliciously zesty and refreshing.

This is a fantastic example of village Chassagne, with bright, vivid nectarine fruit character and a sumptuous, silky palate. It gets its intensity from the old vines (some are approaching 70 years) from nine parcels scattered across the village. A smattering of new oak gives it structure and support. Long and satisfyingly saline finish.

This is a steep site with very high limestone soils. It always produces a nervous, tight wine that can do with a year or two in bottle before the floral notes can blossom.

This is a blend of grapes from Corton-Bressandes and Corton-Chaumes. It always displays an abundance of white fruit aromas, complemented by the little hint of vanilla and spice from the oak.

Their Corton Blanc is a blend of grapes from Bressandes and Chaumes. One third in Stockinger barrels. This is long with notes of toast and vanilla, but also wonderful white fruit and soaring floral aromatics. The volume builds. This is outstanding - an affordable Grand Cru.

This is made in the old fashioned method, with 12 hours in a vertical whole bunch press, once the skins have been split open. When we tasted it still hadn’t seen sulphur. Very fresh pears and energetic.

Corton Blanc is rarely seen, indeed the de Nicolay family have the only Chardonnay vines planted in the clay-rich Bressandes grand cru, which makes up 90% of the blend here. It’s a weighty, richly textured white, with admirable precision and balance. This is a rare treat you should snap up if you have the chance.

The Pillots don’t rush anything these days, even the bottling of their Bourgogne, which along with their Chassagnes, spends two winters in the cellar before being bottled. This time allows the wine to fill out, and take on a seriousness and depth which pitches the wine well above its lowly classification. It has a sweet nectarine intensity and a fleshy, vibrant length. It comes from various parcels all around the village of Chassagne, which is 100% domaine fruit.

Clos St Marc is a single plot within the larger Vergers vineyard where Jean-Marc’s 100+ year old vines make this a powerful, impressive Chassagne. There is a distinct step up in the density of fruit here. The old vines are very low yielding and the resulting wine is concentrated, precise, and graceful.

This is from three of the village’s best communal sites: Les Pierres (94-year-old vines), Mazures (40+), and Houillères (30+). The younger vines give lift, elegance and a vibrant drive, while the older vines give depth and power. It shows a light lemon scent on the nose, with a fresh, linear drive of acidity on the palate.

The 2021 Bourgogne Chardonnay Le Haut des Champs has a well-defined bouquet with nectarine and peach aromas. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, quite saline in the mouth with a bitter lemon finish. Fine.

This is a steep stony limestone site, and the wine is richly intense, with a long, fine finish. It has all the structure and complexity to evolve over the years, taking on weight in bottle and further nuance with age.

Blagny sits high up, 400m above the heart of the Meursault commune. This altitude brings a focused freshness to the wines. It has notes of ripe citrus and yellow apricot, with a richly mineral seashell note - not unlike Chablis - on the nose. The soil is white limestone up here, and this makes for a scintillating palate. It feels straighter than the Grands Charrons, in many ways, more like a Puligny in profile than a Meursault. Saline, mineral, and powerful.

You can feel the character of the poor stony soil found in Puligny here in this wine’s floral, racy delicacy. It has a piercing, slightly spicy intensity accompanied by a tenderness of fruit on the finish. Enticing, with intricate structure and superb definition.

This is a Bourgogne full of lemony freshness and delicious energy. The fruit for this blend comes from three sites in Meursault (making up 60%), with the remainder from a single plot in Puligny. In spite of their Bourgogne classification, these sites are high quality, knocking on the door of village level, with shallow topsoil and lots of small stones, aiding drainage.

Blagny sits high up, above the heart of the Meursault commune. This altitude brings a focused freshness to the wines. It has notes of honeydew melon, with a richly mineral seashell note - not unlike Chablis - on the nose. The soil is very white limestone up here, and this makes for a scintillating palate. It feels straighter than the Grands Charrons, in many ways, more like a Puligny in profile than a Meursault.

This is one of the gems on our list: it may be village on paper, but this exceptionally well-placed parcel - an east-facing limestone vineyard that extends just beyond the band of premiers crus - delivers well beyond its status in the glass. It has a peachy definition and that great Meursault structure - plenty of ripeness combined with the thrilling freshness of the year. It has more ample fruit than the Bourgogne with a voluminous length.

The fruit for this blend in 2021 comes from 75% Puligny and 25% Meursault. In spite of their Bourgogne classification, these sites are high quality, knocking on the door of village level, with shallow topsoil and lots of small stones, aiding drainage. It is a Bourgogne full of lemony freshness, delicious energy and enough salinity and grippiness in the finish that makes you want to continue drinking it! It remains a benchmark of the style.

Blagny sits high up, above the heart of the Meursault commune. This altitude brings a focused freshness to the wines. This 2019 has a wonderfully nutty intensity, with a chalky, white blossom character, and long, citrus finish.

A fresh, chiseled Chardonnay from the master of Chablis.

This is one of few prestigious whites of the Côte de Nuits, and comes from one of the estate’s two monopole vineyards. In 2022 all the younger vines that had previously gone into La Gerbotte, have been incorporated into the senior cuvée. It is easily one of the best white wines you’ll find in the Côte de Nuits, showing bright, elegant fruit, and an appetising bitterness. It’s all really coming together for this cuvée.

This delicious white comes from a plot of limestone soil high up on the hill. It’s floral and zippy, with fantastic energy. This delivers the quality and complexity of a village wine for the price not far off others’ Bourgogne Blancs.

The Saint-Romain from Olivier Leflaive comes from various plots, including Sous le Château and En Poillange. It's a refreshing and crunchy white, with limestone minerality and a racy edge.

Les Sétilles is a smash hit of a Bourgogne Blanc, and one of the most popular wines on our list. Much of the fruit comes from around Puligny-Montrachet, blended with some from further afield, like the Hautes-Côtes, which brings welcome freshness and tension. Two-thirds of the wine is raised in oak, with just a touch (10%) new. It is precise, full of character, mineral bite and a lovely seam of acidity.

Les Sétilles is a contender for most popular wine on our list. It is a smash hit of a Bourgogne Blanc, made from a huge patchwork of vineyards, many clustered around the village of Puligny, and some from further afield. Latterly the fruit coming from the Hautes-Côtes has brought welcome freshness and tension to the wine. Two-thirds of the wine is raised in oak, with just a touch (10%) in new. It is precise, full of character, and quite simply a snapshot of some great winemaking at play in a promising vintage. It shows lemon brightness, mineral bite and a lovely seam of acidity leading to an impressively long finish.

Next to the Olivier Leflaive wines of Puligny, this Meursault village is weighted and structured, with satisfying depth and tension. It’s ample, without being cloying or heavy. The vineyard of Vireuils sits tucked up at the top of the hill, on the border with neighbouring Auxey-Duresses. Its cool hilltop position helps the wine retain a terrific mineral drive, and 50-year-old vines produce concentration and savoury length.

The Saint-Romain from Olivier Leflaive comes from two plots, Sous le Château and En Poillange. It's lively and energetic on the nose, with aromas of waxy lemon with a little saline twist. The palate is fresh, precise and linear. This shows the very best of this up-and-coming appellation.

This vineyard is tucked up at the top of the village on the border with Auxey-Duresses. The cooler hilltop position helps the wine retain a terrific mineral drive. Just one barrel was made in 2021. Its 50-year-old vines produce concentrated stone fruit flavours and aromas, that when ripened to perfection, as in 2021, make for a fleshy, full, savoury wine with lots of impact. Wonderful.

Floral, precise, and energetic. This Montagny premier cru is a classic example of why the appellation is recognised as one of the top communes in the Côte Chalonnaise. This wine itself is a blend of various sites, and is vinified almost exclusively in oak, with just a fraction of it new. It has this wonderful tight fruit-based minerality and a textural structure, with plump lemon pulp at its core.

This is a new addition to the Lay & Wheeler list in 2022. The parcel sits in the northern half of the commune, towards Puligny-Montrachet. It’s a fairly flat, stony vineyard. They usually make a wine which is a blend of fruit from the domaine’s own vines and some negociant fruit, but in 2022, exceptionally, the wine is exclusively from the domaine’s own vines. It stands out in the line-up for its floral and delicate perfume. There is Chassagne’s deliciously nutty, savoury structure, which seems to do so well in warm years.

This vineyard is tucked up at the top of the village on the border with Auxey-Duresses. The cooler hilltop position helps the wine retain a terrific mineral drive. Its 50 year old vines produce concentrated fruit, that when ripened to perfection, as in 2020, make for a fleshy, full, savoury wine with lots of impact.

This is a blend of three terroirs and is vinified almost exclusively in oak, with just a fraction of it new. It has a gorgeously sumptuous, ripe fruit core. And what’s more, it tastes so fresh - the juiciness and fully ripened apricot and peach fruit flavours wrap around an energetic, zippy acidity. A very smart buy.

This brilliant-value Bourgogne Blanc comes from limestone parcels scattered around the Puligny side of Meursault. This wine always delivers: in 2022 it’s brimming with fresh pear on the nose. On the palate, it’s so textured and long, and particularly persistent for a Bourgogne. It sees 25% new oak, which is relatively high for a Bourgogne, adding savoury definition - you get a lot of bang for your buck here. It is a great introduction to the Côte d’Or.

Like Les Clousots, this is a blend of two sites in Meursault rather than a single lieu-dit. It is a combination of Les Casses Têtes and Les Murgers de Monthélie. This cuvée has been bottled since 1996, and is a foundation of the Javillier range. It is always the most direct and driven of the range. In 2022, there is open and particularly vibrant expression on the striking finish. As ever, very elegant, mineral and refined.

Like Les Clousots, this is a blend of two sites in Meursault rather than a single lieu-dit. It is a combination of Les Casses Têtes and Les Murgers de Monthélie. This cuvée has been bottled since 1996, and is a cornerstone of the Javillier range. It is always the straightest and more driven of the range. In 2021, this expresses a wonderful honeysuckle, floral and fresh stone fruit bouquet and there is a full and vibrant expression on the impressive finish. As ever, elegant and refined. Leave for a year or two before diving in.

This is a blend of two parcels in Meursault - the hillside vineyard Les Clous, with a touch of Les Crotots. Les Clous provides the body and drive, with Les Crotots, which sits just next to premier cru Poruzots, definition and zip. It is so concentrated with rich, luscious stone fruit in 2021, but it is also fresh, with a fine line of acidity running right through the palate. No new oak is used here; this wine is all about pure fruit expression, with a wonderful texture.

This is the jewel in the crown of this estate. The vines are on the Aloxe-Corton side of the hill, south-facing, with clay/limestone soil. It sees no new oak (instead, the small volume is vinified in one-year-old barrels), so it has a fresh fruit style. It always has that classic Corton-Charlemagne smoky bacon nose, and a palate of profound and concentrated fruit. The freshness of the vintage works excellently here with the natural weight and power of the site.

This comes from the top of a limestone slope, which has very little topsoil, so the vines need to dig deep for sustenance. It’s pretty on the nose, with a subtle white blossom note. The palate is saline, with a hint of bitterness, recalling pink grapefruit. The length of the wine is carried on the shoulders of 30% new oak which gives it depth and grip. The vintage’s signature freshness is particularly vibrant in Les Tillets.

Like Les Clousots, this is a blend of two sites in Meursault rather than a single lieu-dit. It is a combination of Les Casses Têtes and Les Murgers de Monthélie. This cuvée has been bottled since 1996, and is a cornerstone of the Javillier range. It is always the straightest and more driven of the range. In 2020 there is a full and vibrant expression on the impressive finish. As ever, elegant and refined. Leave for a year or two before diving in.

A blend of Les Casses Têtes with Les Murgers de Monthélie, bottled as a blend since 1996. It is a straighter, more driven expression of Meursault, with a narrow, piercing finish. Of all the Javillier Meursaults, this is the most refined and elegant. Leave for a year or two before diving in.

A blend of Les Casses Têtes with Les Murgers de Monthélie, bottled that way since 1996. Floral and fruit, with precision but also richness. Very linear on the long, mouthwatering finish.