2022 Meursault, Domaine Antoine Jobard, Burgundy

In addition to its official Premier Crus, the Meursault appellation has a number of highly-rated lieu-dit vvineyards, the names of which are often included on the wine labels. Lieu-dit sites are not classed as Premier Cru but are nevertheless recognised as a source of high-quality grapes. These named vineyards include: Les Narvaux, Les Tillets, Les Clous, Les Cases-Tetes, Les Vireuils, Les Grands-Charrons, Le Tesson, Les Rougeots, Les Chevalieres, Les Luchets, Les Meix-Chavaux.

This white-wine focused domaine is renowned for its steely, taut Meursault. Antoine joined his father, François, here in 2002. He assumed sole charge in ’07, after his father’s 50th vintage. Initially, any changes were minimal. Now, there’s a clear move towards earlier bottling, with two winters in barrel no longer seen as the yardstick. This is both a stylistic choice and a response to warmer and earlier harvests. All decisions are now taken with a view towards greater flexibility, allowing more or less reduction from barrel age as required.

Chardonnay is often seen as the king of white wine grapes and one of the most widely planted in the world It is suited to a wide variety of soils, though it excels in soils with a high limestone content as found in Champagne, Chablis, and the Côte D`Or. Burgundy is Chardonnay's spiritual home and the best White Burgundies are dry, rich, honeyed wines with marvellous poise, elegance and balance. They are unquestionably the finest dry white wines in the world. Chardonnay plays a crucial role in the Champagne blend, providing structure and finesse, and is the sole grape in Blanc de Blancs.

It is quantitatively important in California and Australia, is widely planted in Chile and South Africa, and is the second most widely planted grape in New Zealand. In warm climates Chardonnay has a tendency to develop very high sugar levels during the final stages of ripening and this can occur at the expense of acidity. Late picking is a common problem and can result in blowsy and flabby wines that lack structure and definition. Recently in the New World, we have seen a move towards more elegant, better- balanced and less oak-driven Chardonnays, and this is to be welcomed.