2011 Meursault Les Narvaux

Lalou Bize's 2011 Meursault Narvaux takes hold of all the senses and never lets up. An utterly mesmerizing wine, the 2011 boasts extraordinary purity and depth. Today it tastes like a wine right out of tank, such is its intensity and power. With time in the glass, hints of apricot and slate emerge, but the Narvaux is first and foremost a wine of texture. The explosive, mineral-drenched finish is a perfect foil to the voluptuous fruit. What a fabulous wine this is.

The 2011 Meursault Narvaux is one of my favorite d'Auvenay whites. It offers brilliant mineralite on the nose with hints of almond and even a touch of white chocolate in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with a very confident opening of vibrant, energetic citrus fruit infused with orange rind, clear honey and a slight viscosity on the finish. This is a very complex Meursault that will age with style. Drink now-2023+. Having tasted the complete range of Domaine Leroy's wines in Vosne, Lalou Bize-Leroy hopped in her Toyota with her constantly quarreling canines and we follow her down to the back and beyond of Saint Romain to taste her complete range of Domaine d'Auvenay 2011s: two reds outnumbered by the whites. Most of us have more chance of spotting a yeti dining with a dodo at Ma Cuisine than drinking a wine from Domaine d'Auvenay, since the wines are produced in microscopic quantities and only fools would choose to resell them. To put that into perspective, when I visited the picturesque estate tucked away behind a leafy glade, Lalou pointed to what looked like a tin bucket and explained that I was looking at the entire production of last year's Criots-Batard-Montrachet, all 75-litres of it. But there is something magical that shrouds Domaine d'Auvenay and my few encounters have been memorable. Just last year, her Meursault Narvaux 1999 had the hubris to outshine a Corton-Charlemagne from Coche-Dury, and it remains the greatest white village cru that is likely to ever pass my lips. The 2011s were extremely good, but you probably know that already. What I appreciated was that they are very honest wines, respective of their terroirs, not all implicitly the greatest whites you will ever taste, but each adorned with individuality. I have few experiences of mature wines from Domaine d'Auvenay, but they do have an extraordinary propensity to age. Having said that, if my cellar was stocked with these wines, I would find it extraordinarily difficult to resist temptation. Importer: Martine's Wines, Novato, CA; tel. (415) 883-0400