Though it has no Grand Cru vineyards, the white Burgundies of Meursault are some of the most sought after in the world. Classical Meursault inhabits the decadent, opulent end of the white Burgundy spectrum, drawing on clay-rich (pictured) soils to produce muscular, mouthfilling white wines.
In recent years the style has shifted towards less fat and more tension, and the average Meursault today is livelier than it was 20 years ago. Vincent Boyer makes several cuvées in this more modern style, but today’s is old-school. Drawing on nearly 100-year-old vines for extra concentration and depth, the Meursault “Ormeau” is classic: rich, decadent, and flat-out delicious.
Planted in 1924 by Vincent Boyer’s great grandmother Lucie, the “Ormeau” vineyard is named for the elm trees that once shared the clay-rich ground. This is classic, mouthfilling Meursault from vines that celebrate their centenary next year. The nose shows peaches and citrus, with pear and a faint nuttiness in the nose. All of Boyer’s wines are rich, elegant, and complex, but “Ormeau” is among the most classically Meursault in the lineup.
The 2020 is outstanding, from a vintage that has become widely hailed as a modern classic. There’s the prototypical Meursault nose – hazelnuts, white flowers, stones – but the mouth shows added concentration and superb energy. It’s still a traditional fleshy Meursault, but there’s and extra dose of concentration and tension. Burghound called it “elegant,” finding a “clean, lemony and agreeably dry finale.” William Kelley calls it “ample and fleshy, with lively acids and a saline finish.”
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Boyer-Martenot Meursault “Ormeau” 2020
bottle price: $75