Description
Bitouzet-Prieur, Meursault 1er Cru “Perrières”
Francois and Vincent Bitouzet’s family have been living and working vines in Meursault for hundreds of years and today, they hold what is probably the village’s single most diverse and impressive collection of real estate. The Bitouzets farm their narrow, piano key-shaped slice of Meursault Perrières with the same zero compromise approach as all their sites in the village: organically, with zero chemical herbicides or pesticides. All fruit is farmed and harvested by hand. This restraint and patience is echoed in the cellar where juice is vinified gently and slowly with modest sulfites and zero effort to expedite or simplify the process. The end goal is to produce a quintessential and classically styled expression of Perrières that matures in the cellar for years while gradually deepening in aromatics and complexity. In a region increasingly overrun with labels bottling young, forward, “modern” white Burgundy, the Bitouzet family are arch traditionalists. The family’s wines are seldom open and enjoyable upon release—so leave the cork in any 2015 Bitouzet whites you encounter on your next trip to France—but rest assured that after even a few years, these wines offer a memorable reward to those patient enough to cellar them.
Bitouzet Prieur’s 2018 Meursault Perrières 1er Cru offers a classic, regal demonstration of Meursault terroir. The palate is a wall of dense yellow apple, asian pear, and lime blossom fruit coating a firm and flinty mineral core. Raw almond and lightly toasted hazelnuts meet white flowers and citrus blossoms to fill out this bottle’s perfectly fine tuned nose. This is a fascinating and slow gestating wine so I urge you to drink it slowly. I enjoyed my most recent bottle over three consecutive evenings and my experience was that it became noticeably more expressive and nuanced with each passing night. I’ll reiterate that this bottle is built for aging and has at least another 5-7 years of peak drinking. If enjoying in the near term, I recommend decanting for one hour prior to serving one or two glasses in oversized Burgundy stems at 55-60 degrees (before reserving the remaining wine for nights two and three!). This is a complex and layered wine so I encourage you to prepare a simple and to-the-point meal to accompany it. Sip today’s outstanding Meursault while slowly bringing to life this delicious recipe of poached cod with potatoes and leeks. It’s a perfect combination. Cheers!
