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Grivault is a 'cult' producer of the historic kind, and one who's wines are rarely seen. I recently saw a (23yo) 2004 Grivault 1er Cru Perrieres in a Burgundy shop; purchased it; and it was one of the best whites I had last year.
The Villages "Clos de Merger" is a great site of historical importance. Closest Clos to the the village itself (just a stones-throw from the town hall).
A major client of the Domaine is Madame Bize-Leroy, who buys 6 barrels-worth of bottled Meursault 1er Cru Perrieres every year to release under her own Leroy label! It's fair to say that Grivault is hands-down a staff favourite and one of those best 'insider' Burgundy domaines.
“...one of the great domaines of Meursault, especially with its substantial holding of Les Perrières and the monopole of the Clos des Perrières bought by the original Albert Grivault in 1879.” Jasper Morris
2023 Bourgogne 'Clos du Murger'
SOLD OUT
SOLD OUT
This ancient vineyard in the middle of Meursault, near the fire station and below Rougeot and Chevalieres, is enclosed by a stone wall (clos) over 2 metres high. It's divided into two sections: 1ha of Bourgogne in (slightly) hard rock and 1.7ha as appellation Meursault Villages. The gentle slope and the maturing vines (2001) are responsible for the consistency, typicity and quality. For the Burgundy nerds, the Domaine Albert Grivault satellite view on Google Maps shows the walled site and Grivault cellar very clearly. This is always an incredibly great wine punching well above its weight, akin to a ripe and deeply flavoured Villages wine. Few Bourgogne Blancs have this strong sense of place – stamped with Meursault’s typical white flowers, hazelnut, lanolin and pineapple.
"The 2023 Bourgogne Blanc Clos du Murgers has a generous bouquet of French patisserie (I cannot help thinking of freshly-baked almond croissants with some Paris-Brest!). The palate is actually the inverse of the aromatics, more linear and strict with a saline finish. Two wines in one." – Neal Martin, Vinous
2023 Meursault 'Clos du Murger'
Pre-Arrival Offer: $186
Pre-Arrival Offer: $186
This is quite a powerhouse of a white for a Villages wine. The ancients decided to build a wall around the site to give extra protection and to signify its greatness. We can see why. The vines, planted in 1971, are now fully mature. The Bardet family owns the Clos de Murgers, a 2.5ha stone-walled enclosure right in the heart of the village (between the fire station and the des Cloux stream), this site has 1.5ha of Meursault villages with the remaider as designated 'bourgogne' which has sold out as the "undercover" villages!
"Classic Meursault on the nose. Ripe, generous, forward stone fruit with quite a lick of oak apparent. Creamy, luscious palate with acidity keeping the concentrated fruit ripeness in check. I would drink this in its youth but there is plenty to enjoy. Finishes with a mineral, saline edge which adds more freshness. Long finish.." 17/20 Pts. - Jancis Robinson
2023 Meursault 1er Cru 'Perrieres'
Pre-Arrival Offer: $399
Pre-Arrival Offer: $399
The 2023 is mealy, with nuances of damp rocks, pineapple and vanilla pod with a hint of lanolin. It's rich and has great acidity. There is hardly a trace of the 20% new Francois Frere oak in this fine example of a classy powerful white.
Perrières often costs as much as a grand cru and with its lofty position on the hill and its shallow soil with limestone base comes many producers treasuring their plots and making remarkably great wines. This is a powerful wine, with the intensity and richness of flavour of a great meursault, but it has an underlying tension and grip, I presume from its exhalted position high on the hill, and also its geographic closeness to Puligny.
"... an attractive bouquet that seems to "expand" in the glass: apricot and peach skin meet a touch of melted candle wax, all nicely defined. The palate is medium-bodied with fine mineralité, fresh and focused, gaining weight towards the finish, which actually reminds me of the Perrières from Ballot-Millot. Excellent." 93 Points, Neal Martin, Vinous
2023 Meursault 1er Cru 'Clos de Perrieres'
Pre-Arrival Offer: $546
Pre-Arrival Offer: $546
The Clos des Perrières is a 1ha square of pristine and sheltered old (nearing 40yo) vines almost plumb in the middle of the lower and better section of the Perrières 1er Cru site. It is the holy grail of Meursault - a tiny monopole that makes better wine than many producers' Grand Crus. It's a plot on the same contour line as Montrachet, with the same aspect and the same geology; a mix of 3 soil types, clay, limestone and sandy clay. This wine is the very essence of Meursault in all its luxurious richness while retaining a little more tension, a Les Clos-like drive and intense minerality unique to site. This wine will breeze through decades of cellaring and emerge, as tastings have shown over the years, as fresh and complex as some of the great Grand Cru Montrachets. If Meursault were to have a Grand Cru it would most certainly be the Clos des Perrières (if not all of Perrières!).
The 2023 has 20% new oak, but this is well-hidden and its a powerhouse of a wine with great backbone and grip. There was no rush to bottle this and it's seen 18m in oak. Showing more mealy richness and a higher minerality than the Perrieres, it is set for a long life.
2023 Pommard 1er Cru 'Clos Blanc' Rouge
Pre-Arrival Offer: $149
Pre-Arrival Offer: $149
The last few vintages have seen the Bardet Family make an increasingly perfumed and elegant rendition of Pommard 1er Cru. The .9ha plot is adjacent to the most highly regarded 1er Cru Les Grands Epenots, and in the 12th century it was planted to chardonnay by the Abbey of Citeaux.
So supple and elegant is this wine that on first sip I always think of Volnay, before richer and more classic Pommard elements of darker blue fruits, cherry liqueur, damp earth and violets come to the fore. The oldest vines here are 90yo, but the average age is 38yo, The 2023 is powerful with great grippy feel and sweet spicy berry, liquorice, earthy, iodiney fruit. It's unmistakably burgundy and it's for keeping for at least a few years.
