Lucien Muzard Meursault Les Meix Chavaux 2022

Variety: Chardonnay
Country Region: France, Burgundy, Cote-de-Beaune
Appellation: Meursault

From a 0.75 ha parcel bordering Auxey-Duresses, with one third each of the vines planted in 1935, 1988 and 2001. The fruit is hand-picked, whole-bunch pressed and wild-yeast fermented in 40% new French oak barriques. The wine is then matured in barrel on fine lees without batonnage for 10 months, then assembled in tank for a further 2 months. Bottled with a light fining and filtration as required.

‘The Meix Chavaux is blended between 350 and 600 litre barrels. Very attractive lemon and lime colour, with a racy characterful nose, fresh apple, a little lime blossom, fresh energy throughout. I love the graceful yet lifted quality of this wine. It should fill out later on, but is already clearly on the right road. We also tried the same wine, but racked back to barrel to see what a longer elevage will look like. A little more yellow in the colour, while the nose is rounder, showing the wood only in terms of weight not of taste. Fills out the middle in the way I was looking for from the main wine. Either way, Meix Chavaux is a big step up. Drink from 2027-2032. Tasted: October 2023.’ (90-93 points) Jasper Morris M.W., October 2023.

Nine generations of Muzards precede Claude and Herve, who today control Domaine Lucien Muzard across 16 ha of vineyards in Santenay, Chassagne-Montrachet, Puligny Montrachet and Pommard. The family can trace its roots back to 1645, but it was not until the two sons, Claude and Herve took over the domaine from Lucien in 1995 that it began bottling at the estate rather than selling to negociants. Today 85% of the production is red wine but the white wines are gaining in stature with several key premier cru parcels in Santenay being replanted with Chardonnay. Santenay borders Chassagne Montrachet to the north adjoining notable premier crus such as Morgeots, Les Embazees and Les Baudines. Clearly there is potential for white wines with much limestone apparent in a complex series of fractured geological faults where the Cote d'Or ends and turns the corner towards Maranges signalling the end of the Cote d'Or slope. Santenay contains a great variety of soil differences and vineyard expositions, the potential of which deserves discovery.

Reducing vine yields and adoption of some modern wine-making techniques has resulted in spotlessly pure, great value Burgundy. They started using small bins for harvesting, a vibrating sorting table and conveyor belts rather than pumps to keep crushing to an absolute minimum as well as acquiring a new temperature controlled fermentation facility with new wooden vats and a new precision controlled press. In 2005 they began managing the vineyard organically and ultimately gained certification for biodynamic farming in 2011. Following the incessant rains of spring 2012 however they relinquished this certification and today follow a lutte raisonee, or sustainable farming path.

They continue to plough their rows and shun any use of herbicides or pesticides, let alone chemical fertilizers. In the winery these days, more whole bunches are included, typically about a third, while there are no additions of yeast or enzymes. In tandem with the move to more whole-bunch, the extraction regime has moved away from punch-downs towards a gentler remontage (pump-over) approach, while elevage is moving towards both larger oak and a subtler new-oak influence. Indeed for the first time in vintage 2015, two large foudres were included in the elevage of the Maladiere. The reds are bottled unfined and with only a coarse filtration as required.