Maison Roche de Bellene Meursault Les Chevalières 2018

Meursault is known as the land of the great white wines. Set in the Côte de Beaune, it was developed into vineyard lands by the monks of Cîteaux as early as 1098. This deeply historic Burgundian subregion is the perfect environment for growing Chardonnay grapes – and this gorgeous 2018 vintage stands testament to that, from Maison Roche de Bellene and made by the always-impressive winemaker Nicolas Potel! Nearly 60% off makes this a surefire hot commodity, though our numbers are sadly limited and certain to move fast!

Thomas Jefferson is credited with the quote, “I urgently need Meursault...it’s the one I prefer.” Gotta say, I vehemently agree with him on this topic! This is the absolute prime spot in the Côte de Beaune for growing Chardonnay, with its hard Comblanchian limestone, Jurassic marls, and some bits of magnesian limestone integrating a steely flintiness into the wines that gives them an alluringly fresh and silky balance. These grapes in particular are grown upstream of the Meursault River in a spot that looks almost like it was plucked straight out of the pages of a fairytale. Fun fact, Meursault wines in particular are considered to have fared at the top end of this already legendary Burgundy vintage! Les Chevalières means “the knights,” likely in reference to the stone-laden nature of the terroir in this particular lieu-dit, with the stones imparting a searing minerality and standing firm as if in salute to the cherished grapes grown here.

Maison Roche de Bellene is a Burgundy estate that has been on our radar for some time and continues to bowl us over with their portfolio. Founded by the Potel family just outside of the village of Volnay back in 1964, this house has thrived under the guidance of second generation vintner, Nicolas Potel. Before taking over for his father, Nicolas set out to learn Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from legendary sites in Australia’s cool climate Margaret River (Leeuwin, Mount Mary), and alongside California’s Pinot master, Tom Dehlinger, before returning to France to study at the historic Georges Roumier estate in Chambolle-Musigny. Nicolas’s wines are the perfect blend of classic Burgundy, with a thoughtful nod to the modern style of crafting elegantly powerful Pinots and Chardonnays. Jasper Morris has called Maison Roche de Bellene, “In the class of the very best that Burgundy can produce...”

We can only passionately and wholly concur – especially after a glass of this exceptionally intense, creamy, and vividly fresh White Burgundy from the wondrous 2018 vintage. With aromas of white flowers, hazelnuts, and lemon zest, this brilliant wine toes the line between richness and acidity to perfection – with additional flavors of fleshy white peach, Bosc pear, lemon verbena, toasted almonds, and a touch of honey and white peppercorn, while a long, structured, velvety finish brings it on home in the most delightful manner! This is demonstrably ageable – but we wouldn’t blame you if you popped one, or two, open on the next sunny spring day we encounter. For half off, you’d be hard-pressed to find another deal on such thoughtfully sourced and made White Burgundy that compares to this! Don’t waste another minute in making some of it yours!

PAIRING IDEAS: Light and bright is the name of the game here – and this easy lemon chicken with a simple lemon-butter sauce is low effort but insanely delicious and fancy feeling! A win-win for this glorious White Burgundy!