Domaine Michel Bouzereau et fils

Meursault, Côte de Beaune

As an importer of French wines in Australia, Burgundy represents one of our greatest challenges. It is so heavily subscribed that you are lucky to find, even a second quality tier producer, from the Cote d’Or that is not already imported. Very occasionally, however, patience and perseverance pays off - which has been the case with Domaine Michel Bouzereau. After many years of pleading we managed to get an appointment with Jean-Baptiste Bouzereau in 2015. What a coup! Reading up, we discovered that the French regard this domaine as being in the top handful of Meursault producers; albeit with their own pure style, rather than following the popular artefact-driven bottlings.

While there are many Bouzereau’s in Meursault, Domaine Michel Bouzereau is regarded as the finest producer bearing the family name. This scion of the family has been cultivating vineyard in the area for seven generations. Michel created the domaine as it stands today, enlarging the holding of his father to 11 hectares across the villages of Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet. In 1999 his son, Jean-Baptiste, took over the running of the domaine. He began the process of modernising the domaine, whilst respecting the traditions of his father. This included changing the vineyard management to organic and biodynamic principles, increasing the time in barrel for the whites from 12 months to 15 - 18 months, as well as building a modern winery and cellar designed around their winemaking style.

Jean-Baptiste’s focus is the vineyards. He is a firm believer in the traditional Burgundian viticulture of low trained vines, cultivation and fastidious pruning; along with organic principles, natural products and harvesting at the precise moment. In the cellar the winemaking is still quite traditional but has been refined in the quest for elegance. New oak is restricted to a maximum of 25% for the premier crus. All timing for movement of wine is determined by the lunar calendar.

The white wines of the domaine are among the finest of both Meursault and Puligny. They have power and concentration, with poise as well as purity. Their Meursault style is less artefact (grilled nuts and struck match) driven than the other top names and more about transparency. When tasting the wines, it is as if the different crus are talking directly to you: so clear are their pure fruited and mineral-laden voices. These are a must-have reference for any serious white Burgundy drinker.