In a region increasingly overrun with estates bottling young, forward, “modern” White Burgundy, the Bitouzet family are arch traditionalists. The family’s wines are seldom open and enjoyable upon release, but they offer a consistently impressive reward to those patient enough to cellar the wines. The family has been farming in Meursault and Volnay for hundreds of years. Their Meursault holdings, now overseen by Francois and Vincent Bitouzet, encompass both humble lieu-dits (a named vineyard with special qualities) and some of the village’s top Premier Crus. The vines that produce today’s wine come from the Clos du Cromin, a single, ancient walled lieu-dit that sits high atop a hill in Meursault’s northern section just below some of the top Premier Crus. This vineyard’s acidic soils combined with its cool, windswept location demand a significantly later harvest than its neighbors. The resulting wine has a deep and pure mineral core, and often requires a few extra years in bottle before reaching maturity. This effort is built to last and will improve over the next five to seven years or more if cellared properly. Those who enjoy the rich nuttiness and white truffle qualities of mature White Burgundy will certainly be rewarded. This is outstanding Chardonnay.