Meursault

The wines

Meursault is almost entirely white: about 383 hectares of Chardonnay against 9 of Pinot Noir in 2022, according to the Burgundy wine board. Vines grow on marl and limestone, and in Perrières the soil is thin and very stony over pale limestone. The whites are dry, with a heady bouquet that often blends toasted notes and almond. The few reds are made from Pinot Noir, while reds from the Santenots climats, on the Volnay side, are sold as Volnay premier cru.

History

The oldest original record of vines at Meursault dates from Christmas 1098. That day Duke Eudes I of Burgundy gave a vine he owned near the castle of Meursault to the newly founded abbey of Cîteaux, and the Cistercian monks went on to build a large estate here. In the 12th century a leprosarium was founded at the entrance to the village. A medieval fortress followed, and its remains now house the town hall, under a bright roof of glazed Burgundian tiles.

Red wine long mattered here too: the departmental archives note that it kept great importance in Meursault until the 19th century. On 17 July 1878 Meursault became the first place in the Côte-d'Or where phylloxera was documented. The appellation dates from 31 July 1937. Between the two world wars, the harvest-end meal grew into the Paulée, now a celebrated November banquet that closes the Trois Glorieuses weekend. In 1966 the comedy La Grande Vadrouille filmed scenes at the town hall.