Meursault AOC

Named after the town of the same name, this communal appellation with 364 hectares of vines is located in the Burgundy Côte d'Or (Côte de Beaune) area. Small areas in the commune of Blagny are also included. The place is also called the "capital of Burgundy white wines". In Meursault, the Cistercians received their first vineyard as a gift from the Duke of Burgundy on Christmas Day of their founding year in 1098. In Meursault, the "Paulée de Meursault" is held annually on the third day of the "Trois Glorieuses" (Three Glorious Days), which goes back to the tradition of a meal eaten together after the grape harvest (see also Hospices de Beaune and Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin).

The wines produced are mainly white Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc, which are among the best from Burgundy and are mostly aged in barriques. A popular saying in the commune is: "Only those who drink Meursault will never become drunkards". The red wines are made from Pinot Noir with smaller portions of Pinot Liébault and Pinot Gris.

There are no classified Grands Crus in the Meursault appellation. The Premiers Cr us cover a total of 160 hectares of vineyards. The most important of these are Bouchères, Charmes, Genevrières, Goutte d'Or, Poruzot, Perrières (Grand Cru-worthy), Pièce sous le Bois, Poruzots, Santenots and Sous le Dos d'Ane. As a special feature, there is a Volnay-Santenots Premier Cru appellation exclusively for red wines, which was judicially regulated as early as 1924. Confusingly, however, these vineyards are not located in the neighbouring municipality of Volnay, but in Meursault. Alternative appellations are Meursault-Blagny Premier Cru for white wines from certain vineyards around Blagny, Meursault-Côte de Beaune only for red wines and Meursault-Santenots for white wines from Premier Cru vineyards in certain areas in Volnay-Santenots.

Well-known producers are Ampeau, Bichot (Domaine du Pavillon), Bouchard Père et Fils, Boyer-Martenot, Coche-Dury, Joseph Drouhin, Fichet, Grivault, Javillier, Lafon, Javillier, Jobard, Domaine Leroy, Michelot, Morey and Domaine Roulot.

Map: by DalGobboM¿!i? - Own work, GFDL, Link
edited by Norbert F. J. Tischelmayer