Paul Garaudet's 2005 Meursault Vieilles Vignes
The Meursault Vines - Center of the Cote d'Or White Burgundy Growing Area
"2005 - An Excellent Vintage that is Highly Consistent from Top to Bottom As always, let's cut straight to the chase in my strong opinion, the best 2005 whites from the Cote d'Or are not only excellent, but MUCH better that they've been given credit for to this point - the vintage has come together in wonderfully dramatic fashion that visits early in its evolution simply did not suggest was possible - the star of 2005 is undoubtedly Puligny-Montrachet followed closely by Meursault." Burghound - Allen Meadows
So there you have it. The 2005s are glorious and the Meursaults particularly so. And, this is the vintage to feel confident about dabbling in the village wines. You won't be missing anything if you don't' reach for the Premier and Grand Cru wines which can be very pricey ($50-$75/bt)
We've all heard of Meursault. And, there isn't one among us who doesn't perk up when it comes to the table. Meursault is a funny little humped up almost triangular village between Volnay and Puligny- Montrachet in the Cote d'Or. There is the bar with a rustic diningroom alongside which you can eat a good hardy plate for lunch or dinner. You can also sleep in Meursault if you're not very fussy.
Then , there's the café where you go for coffee in the morning which will slather up a nice tartine (butter and baguette - I put them in this order for good reason). There is the alimentation which is the French 7-Eleven equivalent, but more like a General Store. But, that's about it. Nothing chic here, but wait then there's the wine.
You'll have honey, coffee, lemons, pears, hazelnuts, butter essences in your mouth. But, you know the French. The flavors don't bump and grind through your senses, they waft, they penetrate stealthily. Those flavors sneak up on you and suddenly you're gotten. If there is such a thing as a slow gush, than this is more what Meursault is like. No other white wines in the world have the subtlety of French white Burgundies. And, isn't that what we all admire in this world: understatement.
Paul Garaudet's Meursault comes from 85-year- old vines. This is old, very old. His is a Meursault with great length and viscosity. Paul is a great, friendly bear of a man with a reputation for extracting the best out of his vineyards and putting a reasonable price tag on his efforts. This is refreshing in an area that is fraught with a lot of growers who don't put enough emphasis on quality and a lot of emphasis on cashing in on the name "Meursault".
Go with the gush. 2005 is the ideal vintage because of its perfect ripeness ergo richness to dip into the more affordable village wines (verses the pricer premier cru). Very limited. Cynthia Hurley
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