2020 Meursault Vieilles Vignes is a marvellous white wine from Meursault, Burgundy. I admit that I am guilty of infanticide opening this bottle already. The wine is made from Chardonnay. The fruit comes from 7 parcels. The vines are between 55 and 110 years old (certainly, no question whatsoever whether they can be called old vines, or Vieilles Vignes!). The Vireuils et Meix Chavaux vineyards give freshness, the vineyards Marcausses, Vignes Blanches et Pellans give great body to the wine. Buisson-Charles is a winery run by the Essa family: Patrick Essa, his wife Cathérine and his son Louis Essa.
They cultivate organically their own grapes in Meursault. However, they also purchase some fruit from other regions, especially to make red wines. Grapes for the 2020 Meursault Vieilles Vignes are hand-picked. Maturation takes place for 17 months, one year in Burgundy “Pieces” barrels (20% of which are new). No clearing, no filtering. Low yields, 30-50 hl per hectare. This is a dense, great Meursault that will develop its full potential over the coming years. Only 7.950 bottles were produced. It took me quite an effort to convince Patrick Essa to give me one bottle, because they sell to subscribers and have a waiting list…
Golden straw colour. Notes of pear, quince, hazelnut, and a slight buttery note in the nose – very pleasant aromas. On the palate, this wine is dry, with medium acidity, a very round mouthfeel. The fruit is showing nicely. Great and pleasant finish. Obviously, with some more patience and a few extra years of maturation in the bottle, this wine will show fantastically. The 2020 Meursault Vieilles Vignes is already a great choice now, even in its infant stage.
