Located in the sweet spot of Meursault’s southern end between the Premier Crus of Les Perrieres, Genevrieres and the famous Premier Cru of Puligny-Montrachet’s Les Combettes, Les Charmes is considered among the greatest sites for Chardonnay in Burgundy. Although Meursault does not have a grand cru residing within its borders, it is consistently the source of some of Burgundy’s greatest Premier Cru vineyards that rival Grand Cru sites across the Cote de Beaune. Fortunately, for our pocketbooks, we can enjoy this Grand Cru quality Chardonnay at a reasonable Premier Cru price point. 

 

The roots of Domaine Latour-Giraud date back to the French Revolution when the property belonged solely to the Latour family. It wasn’t until 1958 that Pierre Latour married the only daughter of Charles Giraud that the Latour-Giraud legacies and names were united. Today, the son of that union, Jean-Pierre, runs the domaine with the help of his sister, Florence. It’s not just prime real estate that delivers the divine nectar found in the glass, the family practices organic viticulture and opts for ébourgeonnage (de-budding) in the spring as opposed to summertime green harvesting. They also choose to harvest slightly earlier than many in the appellation, which results in freshness and ensures the perfect balance and ageability. Following harvest, Jean-Pierre gently presses whole clusters then ferments the juice using indigenous yeasts in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. He follows that process up with batonnage and sur lie aging in a combination of neutral and new French Oak. The wines are racked in fall prior to the next crush and are bottled lightly fined but left unfiltered. The result is a Chardonnay that delivers all the we crave in a fine, white Burgundy from one of the most treasured sites in all of Meursault.