Description
Domaine Bader-Mimeur, Meursault “Le Limozin”
If we had to pick a single spot on the global wine map where Chardonnay consistently reaches its true pinnacle, we wouldn’t hesitate to push the thumbtack into the heart of Meursault. For centuries, this iconic Burgundian hamlet has managed to perfectly capture both the yin and yang of what is now the world’s most ubiquitous white grape: Combining rich, powerful, golden-hued texture with almost impossibly precise, mineral-laden, acidic structure is the real magic trick of Meursault. And today’s discovery does that with gusto. Sourced from a small, single parcel of vines that is surrounded by some of the best Premier Crus (in a village with no Grand Crus, a historical “oops”), and selected by one of the most classic, and classy, estates in the Côte de Beaune, this wine is a bonafide benchmark of Chardonnay perfection. And the 2021 vintage, already considered a generational blockbuster, elevates this wine to another level of sublime profundity. All of this is yours, if you don’t wait too long, for less than $100, a price that is increasingly rare in the world of single vineyard Meursault. It’s limited, don’t wait!
“Le Limozin” is a lieu-dit vineyard, which essentially means it is a vineyard with a historical name, and yet for some reason was left out of the cru classification system that was codified by the French AOC laws in the early and mid 20th Century. The vineyard names and classifications in Burgundy are, as many can attest, a tangled web of history and tradition that began with the ancient studies of what is now called “terroir” by the Cistercian monks. Those monks, and the various land holders and growers that followed them, were pretty spot-on in their observations of the parcels and quality levels, but they weren’t perfect. And certainly the process of converting those historic classifications into French AOC law, though generally great, certainly left some room for, shall we say, disagreement. “Le Limozin” is a perfect example: This small parcel is surrounded on three sides by some of Meursault’s most important Premier Crus–Genvrières, Charmes, and Poruzots–and has the same basic mix of clay over a solid limestone bedrock, and the same basic east/southeast exposure. But it remains a lieu-dit, not a Premier Cru. Why? It’s a bit of a mystery, but the bottom line is with today’s discovery you get Premier Cru level Meursault for a village price.
Of course the quality of terroir in a parcel is paramount, but then you have to farm the grapes and make the wine. Though the overall quality in Burgundy has risen exponentially in the past couple of decades, there are still plenty of examples of good terroir being ruined by poor farming or wine making decisions. But that’s not an issue with our Meursault today! This is a special selection from the historic Bader-Mimeur estate in Chassagne-Montrachet. The owners of the Château de Chassagne-Montrachet since the early 1700s, this is a family steeped in Burgundian history, and the current proprietors, Alain Fossier and Marie-Pierre Fossier-Bader, act as both caretakers as well as making sure to keep abreast of any need modernization or other improvements. The “Le Limozin” parcel is not owned by the Bader family, but for years they have been working with the same grower and helping to oversee farming and production, afterwich the wine is bottled and aged in their estate cellars. Only 1800 bottles were made!
“Le Limozin” is farmed organically, manually harvested, and made in a classic, old-school Burgundy style: Whole clusters are pressed over 24 hours, then the juice is fed by gravity into barriques (20% new) for fermentation with native yeasts. The wine is aged for 10 months in the same barrels with lees stirring as needed, before being racked back into steel tanks to settle for four months before being bottled. Serve this pitch-perfect Meursault at a cool 50 degrees in a large Burgundy stem and the majesty of the vineyard and the cellar will be made readily apparent: Crisp green and yellow apples, lemon curd, citrus blossoms, star jasmine, honeysuckle, toasted almond, vanilla bean, and churned butter all leap from the glass. The color is bright gold turning pale green at the rim, and the luxurious texture is propped up perfectly by a long, saline minerality and elegant, mouth watering acidity. This is pure Chardonnay heaven, and will continue to impress for years to come. Serve with everything from roast chicken to fatty fishes in decadent sauces. Oh yes, it goes great with Turkey too.
