Placeholder Image

Domaine Bitouzet-Prieur, Meursault 1er Cru “Perrières”

Burgundy / Côte de Beaune, France 2017 (750mL)
Regular price$135.00
/
Your cart is empty.
  • In stock, ready to ship
  • Inventory on the way
Fruit
Earth
Body
Tannin
Acid
Alcohol

Domaine Bitouzet-Prieur, Meursault 1er Cru “Perrières”

As an unabashed Burgundy fanatic, one thing never fails to send a chill up my spine: A deeply cherished producer in Domainer Bitouzet-Prieur and superior vine real estate in “Les Perrières.” Really, everyone at SommSelect is a superfan of Domaine Bitouzet-Prieur, and the transient arrival of this Meursault Premier Cru—their top white bottling—is cause for pandemonium. What's more, just 50 cases make it stateside each year, but today I want to focus on its precious raw material, not the lack of availability. 


Burgundy will be forever judged on its hallowed and highly nuanced terroirs, and Premier Cru “Perrières” is among the greatest, especially in Meursault. Over two dozen producers scrap over this 13-hectare site and Bitouzet-Prieur owns a quarter of one. Furthermore, their sliver of vines directly neighbor Comte Lafon ($500), with Roulot's ($1,500+) on the same grade to the north, and Coche Dury's ($2500+) perched just upslope. As you can see, there’s a reason “Perrières” is considered to be home to some of the most prized and brutally expensive Chardonnay on earth, and if you’re tempted to “understand” what the fuss is about, Bitouzet’s limited creation is among the finest values out there—if only there was enough to go around! 


I continue to wonder if Meursault will ever see some of its top vineyards elevated to Grand Cru status. If that ever comes to pass, there’s no doubt “Perrières” will be one of the first: As celebrated author Clive Coates, MW, has said, Perrières is the Premier Cru that “most people would agree produces Meursault's best wine.” Wedged between famed neighboring Premier Cru Meursault “Charmes” and the northern border with Puligny-Montrachet, the shallow and limestone-rich Perrières is known for producing Meursault of unparalleled precision and structure. It always seems to sit one step above its neighboring 1er Crus in terms of sophistication, consistency, and minerality, so it’s no surprise that this is home to some of Burgundy’s greatest names and highest-priced whites. 


François and Vincent Bitouzet’s family has been living and working vines in Meursault for hundreds of years and today, they hold what is probably the village’s single most diverse and impressive collection of real estate. The Bitouzets farm their narrow slice of Meursault Perrières with the same zero-compromise approach as all their sites in the village—organically, with zero chemical herbicides or pesticides. All fruit is farmed and harvested by hand. This restraint and patience is echoed in the cellar, where juice is vinified gently, slowly, and naturally and zero advances are made to expedite or simplify the process throughout its 18-month upbringing in French oak barrels (25% new). The end goal is to produce a quintessential and classically styled expression of Perrières that matures in the cellar for years while gradually deepening in aromatics and complexity. In a region increasingly overrun with labels bottling young, forward, “modern” white Burgundy, the Bitouzet family are arch-traditionalists. 


Burgundies of such exceptional quality and typicity, at this price, are a dying breed so if you long to experience pure, textbook, top-shelf Meursault, Bitouzet is your ticket—as long as you give it time! This 2017 is loaded with piano-wire tension and taut, hyper-restrained aromatics that are begging to slumber for another few years in a cellar. We’ve said this before but it rings louder than ever today: Opening this would be infanticide. Right now, it’s tightly coiled with muted aromatics that eventually reveal citrus, flint, lemon curd, toasted almond, crushed stone, lees, underripe pineapple, and apple blossoms. That said, you can already tell it’s a member of Mensa’s Gifted Youth, but it will most definitely need time to mature and develop its raw intelligence. I believe at 6-8 years of age, it will start unveiling its wisdom and deliver a deeply meditative drinking experience that’ll forever haunt the memories of white Burgundy drinkers. Be patient, and you will be handsomely rewarded with one of the most profound Premier Cru white Burgundies money can buy. Cheers!

Placeholder Image
Country
Region
Sub-Region
Soil
Farming
Blend
Alcohol
OAK
TEMP.
Glassware
Drinking
Decanting

France

Bourgogne

Beaujolais

Enjoying the greatest wines of Beaujolais starts, as it usually does, with the lay of the land. In Beaujolais, 10 localities have been given their own AOC (Appellation of Controlled Origin) designation. They are: Saint Amour; Juliénas; Chénas; Moulin-à Vent; Fleurie; Chiroubles; Morgon; Régnié; Côte de Brouilly; and Brouilly.

Southwestern France

Bordeaux

Bordeaux surrounds two rivers, the Dordogne and Garonne, which intersect north of the city of Bordeaux to form the Gironde Estuary, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The region is at the 45th parallel (California’s Napa Valley is at the38th), with a mild, Atlantic-influenced climate enabling the maturation of late-ripening varieties.

Central France

Loire Valley

The Loire is France’s longest river (634 miles), originating in the southerly Cévennes Mountains, flowing north towards Paris, then curving westward and emptying into the Atlantic Ocean near Nantes. The Loire and its tributaries cover a huge swath of central France, with most of the wine appellations on an east-west stretch at47 degrees north (the same latitude as Burgundy).

Northeastern France

Alsace

Alsace, in Northeastern France, is one of the most geologically diverse wine regions in the world, with vineyards running from the foothills of theVosges Mountains down to the Rhine River Valley below.

Others We Love