2017 Meursault, Charmes, 1er Cru, Domaine Bitouzet-Prieur, Burgundy

Bitouzet-Prieur’s holding covers just 0.2 hectares,  in two parcels which straddle the vineyard road between Charmes-Dessus and Charmes-Dessous.  The nose is tight and closed initially but opens to reveal delicate stone-fruit and a hint of creamy oak. The palate unfurls slowly, like a blooming flower.  Drink 2022-2030.

François is keen to highlight the importance of the solidarity shown by the Côte’s vignerons at the end of April, when everyone came together to burn dampened bales and create cloud cover to ward off the frost. Without such action this could well have been another catastrophic yield. Having avoided this threat, the rest of the season was fairly straightforward with careful vineyard management and harvest began on the 30th August. He feels the whites are a mix of 2015 and 2014, while the reds are pretty and will drink well from an early age.