2009 Meursault Charmes

The 2009 Meursault Charmes is subtle, delicate and intensely floral, yet very Charmes. A late harvest here yielded a wine with 14.2% alcohol but no heaviness. The rich, intense flavors are nicely supported by a vein of minerality on the intense finish.

The 2009 Meursault Charmes is subtle, delicate and intensely floral, yet very Charmes. A late harvest here yielded a wine with 14.2% alcohol but no heaviness. The rich, intense flavors are nicely supported by a vein of minerality on the intense finish. Anticipated maturity: 2013+. This is another stunning set of wines from proprietors Mounir Saouma and Rotem Brakim. Saouma and Brakim practice some of the most risk-taking winemaking in Burgundy, especially with regards to elevage. The wines see extended aging on the lees with minimal sulfur. I tasted the 2009s in late June 2011. At the time the wines had never been racked. Readers should note that I accidentally omitted a number of wines from my reviews of the estate’s 2009 reds, in particular the wines from Vosne-Romanee. Those notes are now posted on the site. My tasting concluded with two wines served blind. These turned out to be two 2004 Meursaults. The first wine was made with a pneumatic press and aged with 4 liters of lees per barrel, the second wine was made with a mechanical press and went into barrel with 8 liters of lees. Both wines were aged 18 months and bottled by hand. As it turns out, wine #2 was considerably fresher and much more nuanced than wine #1. Importer: Vintus, Pleasantville, NY; tel. (919) 769-3000

(14% alcohol) Knockout nose of lemon, minerals, hazelnut and vanilla; an essence of Charmes. Then supple, pliant and sweet-almost too easy-with flavors of citrus zest and butter. Slightly dry and aggressive on the finish but this is still young.