As steward and owner of the Domaine, Sylvain Dussort dedicates half of his production each year to his two Bourgogne Blanc bottlings. He takes these wines very seriously and treats them with the meticulous care he does his higher end offerings, which definitely translates in the bottle. Thanks to his prime real estate and dedication in the vineyards, his Bourgogne Blanc has more in common with Meursault than a typical Bourgogne Blanc - with the exception of the price, which makes this wine an incredible value. The parcels used for the Cuvée des Ormes are located on two unique terroirs. The first vineyard is “L'Ormeau,” which rests on the eastern border of the town of Meursault. The second parcel, “Les Pellans,” lies just next to the border of Puligny-Montrachet, which rests along the zip code of some of the most coveted terrain in the Côte. 

Monsieur Dussort focuses on sustainable, lutte raisonée viticulture coupled with traditional winemaking techniques to craft his wines. He hand harvests early to retain balance, which is particularly advantageous in this year of fruit-forward concentration in the glass. The age of his vines lend weight, concentration and richness to the wine while the soil adds ample minerality. This wine is aged sur lie for 12 to 14 months in neutral oak, which allows the pure expression of the varietal and precise minerality to shine through without an overpowering oak influence. The result in this example from the 2012 vintage is a wine with beautiful concentration and generous fruit balanced by moderate acidity and precise minerality.     

This wine has the structural integrity to continue in an upward evolution for another 2-3 years if well kept in a cold cellar. Due to the richness and concentration of the 2012 vintage and the correspondingly lower acidity, this is not a wine to cellar long term. It is, however, simply delightful at this very moment. The nose offers notes of ripe yellow apple, bosc pear puree, lemon curd, lime blossoms, hazelnut and a touch of cream. The palate is full and rich with moderate acidity and ripe fruit notes reminiscent of the nose. This wine needs air; so please decant for at least 30 minutes then serve in large Burgundy stems. I personally prefer this wine a bit above cellar temperature at about 55-60 degrees; any colder and the wines complexities are hidden. If you put this wine in the refrigerator for a few hours, simply decant and 30 minutes later this baby Meursault should be in a beautiful place.