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Pierre Ramonet arrived in Chassagne-Montrachet in the late 1920s with, as the family tells it, a knapsack and not much else, bought grapes and made wine until he could afford vines, and in 1934 made his first purchase in Les Ruchottes, the premier cru that would make his name. Frank Schoonmaker found him early and sent the wines to America, and Pierre never stopped buying: Bâtard and Bienvenues from Domaine Coquet in the 1950s, and in 1978, at 72, a quarter hectare of Montrachet paid for with his savings. He died in 1994 at 88, having handed the work to his grandsons Noël and Jean-Claude a decade earlier. Since 2013 the labels have read Jean-Claude Ramonet, and Jean-Claude now runs the domaine with his daughter Anne-France. The holdings are what every white Burgundy lover dreams about: Montrachet, Bâtard, Bienvenues and a sliver of Chevalier, plus Ruchottes, Caillerets, Morgeot, Boudriotte, Vergers and Chaumées in Chassagne, with Saint-Aubin and Puligny alongside. The cellar is old-fashioned and unhurried, with fermentation on native yeasts and 12 to 15 months in barrel, new oak kept to a modest share even for the grands crus. Decanter calls Ramonet one of the best white wine producers on the planet, and we’re not inclined to argue: these are the Chassagnes we buy whenever we can, with the Ruchottes and the Morgeot the ones that turn up most often on our own shelves.

Pierre Ramonet arrived in Chassagne-Montrachet in the late 1920s with, as the family tells it, a knapsack and not much else, bought grapes and made wine until he could afford vines, and in 1934 made his first purchase in Les Ruchottes, the premier cru that would make his name. Frank Schoonmaker found him early and sent the wines to America, and Pierre never stopped buying: Bâtard and Bienvenues from Domaine Coquet in the 1950s, and in 1978, at 72, a quarter hectare of Montrachet paid for with his savings. He died in 1994 at 88, having handed the work to his grandsons Noël and Jean-Claude a decade earlier. Since 2013 the labels have read Jean-Claude Ramonet, and Jean-Claude now runs the domaine with his daughter Anne-France. The holdings are what every white Burgundy lover dreams about: Montrachet, Bâtard, Bienvenues and a sliver of Chevalier, plus Ruchottes, Caillerets, Morgeot, Boudriotte, Vergers and Chaumées in Chassagne, with Saint-Aubin and Puligny alongside. The cellar is old-fashioned and unhurried, with fermentation on native yeasts and 12 to 15 months in barrel, new oak kept to a modest share even for the grands crus. Decanter calls Ramonet one of the best white wine producers on the planet, and we’re not inclined to argue: these are the Chassagnes we buy whenever we can, with the Ruchottes and the Morgeot the ones that turn up most often on our own shelves.

Bid on this bottle of 1996 Morey-Blanc Meursault 1er Cru "Charmes".

Bid on this bottle of 2015 Domaine Roulot Meursault "À Mon Plaisir - Clos du Haut Tesson" ((90-92BH), 92JG, 91VN). Burghound: "Ripe, fresh and cool aromas feature notes of hazelnut, pear and white peach along with plenty of floral and spice nuances. There is notably more volume if a bit less refinement to the rich and full-bodied flavors that coat the palate with sap while delivering outstanding depth and length on the sleek and balanced finish that really fans out. A most impressive villages. " (06/2017)

A perfumed and highly expressive nose freely proffers its aromas of the essence of white fleshed fruit, green apple, wet stone, petrol and a plethora of floral elements. There is again excellent mid-palate density to the sappy and powerful medium-bodied flavors that possess an almost aggressive minerality on the superbly long finale. This is a knockout and it's extremely rare to find this level of quality at the villages-level - if you can find it, buy it.

Once again there is a coolness to the airy, even wafting, nose of wet stone, citrus and exotic tea. The sleek, intense and beautifully delineated, even chiseled, flavors brim with minerality on the lilting, focused, balanced and lightly austere finale. Villages-level Meursault doesn't get a lot better and this is pretty much textbook Tillets. *Outstanding* *Top Value*

This is a Chardonnay from Meursault produced by Domaine Robert Ampeau & Fils, a historic family estate known for releasing wines only after extended cellar aging. The wine comes from the Premier Cru vineyard La Pièce-sous-le-Bois, a small climat on the southern side of Meursault bordering Puligny-Montrachet. Domaine Ampeau became famous for maintaining deep library stocks and holding back vintages for years or even decades before release, allowing the wines to mature under ideal cellar conditions before reaching the market.

Bid on this bottle of 2013 Domaine Roulot Meursault 1er Cru "Clos des Bouchères" ((91-93BH), 93JG, 92RP, 92VN). Burghound: "A more elegant, airy and slightly cooler nose displays notes of citrus, rose petal, essence of almost and a hint of jasmine tea. There is an equally good sense of refinement to the ultra-pure and more obviously mineral-inflected flavors that culminate in an understated, clean and beautifully focused and balanced finish that is positively Zen-like in its sense of harmony. This and the Porusot beautifully demonstrate the two extremes of the Meursault 1ers as they contrast power and punch with elegance and finesse. Note that while these are qualitative equals they could hardly be more different. *Outstanding*" (06/2015)

Bid on this 3-bottle lot of 2017 Domaine Henri Boillot Meursault 1er Cru "Les Genevrières" ((93-95VN), 94BH, (92-94RP)). Vinous: "(Boillot described his vines in Genevrières du Haut as "two rows away from Perrières "): Pale, green-tinged yellow. Delicate nose hints at lime zest and white flowers. Wonderfully silky and energetic on the palate but also sharply delineated and tighter today than the Charmes. Discreet citrus fruit and hazelnut flavors deliver noteworthy complexity. Finishes gripping and very long, with serious salty energy. The crop level here was just 35 hectoliters per hectare, according to Boillot. (ST)" (06/2018)

Bid on this 2-bottle tasting lot; including 1-bottle of 2018 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru "Les Charmes" (95DC, (93-95RP), (92-94BH), 94JG, 93JM, 93VN) and 1-bottle of 2019 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru "Les Charmes" ((94-96RP), 95JM, (92-94BH), 94DC, 92VN). Of the 2019 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru "Les Charmes", Wine Advocate writes: "The 2019 Meursault 1er Cru Charmes is very promising indeed, wafting from the glass with notes of citrus zest, buttered orchard fruit, toasted almonds, honeycomb and mandarin. Medium to full-bodied, deep and tightly wound, with terrific concentration and cut, it's elegantly muscular, with chalky structuring dry extract and a long, precise finish... In short, as Dominique hands the reins to the next generation, it's fair to say that the Domaine des Comtes Lafon is in very fine shape indeed. (WK)" (01/2021)

Bid on this 2-bottle tasting lot; including 1-bottle of 2016 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru "Les Charmes" ((93-95JM), 95RP, 95TA, 94DC, 94JG, 93VN, 91BH) and 1-bottle of 2017 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru "Les Charmes" (97DC, 96JM, 95RP, 95VN, 94BH, 94JG). Of the 2017 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru "Les Charmes", Decanter writes: "Charmes wasn't hit by the frost in 2016, so volumes were actually down a little in 2017, but Dominique Lafon is more than happy with the 20 barrels of this leesy, nutty, textbook Meursault from his 1.85ha parcel. Smoky, fresh and finely oaked, it's a wonderfully complex, complete wine. Drinking Window 2020 - 2028. (TA)" (10/2018)

Bid on this magnum of 2018 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault "Clos de la Barre" (1.5L).

Bid on this bottle of 2003 Hospices de Beaune (Drouhin) Meursault 1er Cru "Genevrières - Cuvée Baudot" .

Bid on this bottle of 2019 Pierre Girardin “Éclat de Calcaire” Meursault, a village-level white Burgundy from one of the Côte de Beaune’s brightest young talents. Pierre Girardin, son of renowned producer Vincent Girardin, launched his own domaine in 2017 and quickly drew acclaim for precise, mineral-driven Chardonnays. His Éclat de Calcaire bottlings, French for “burst of limestone,” are built to showcase the limestone soils at the heart of Burgundy’s terroir. From the sunny, concentrated 2019 vintage, expect ripe lemon, white peach and pear layered with hazelnut, brioche, toasted almond and a chalky, saline minerality, with a rich yet taut palate and a long, energetic finish. A refined, modern Meursault from a rising star producer.

Like Les Forges, the wood shows in the plumper nose, there being one new 500 barrel out of two, though Cras tends to be more aquiline. Very much a limestone feel to the nose as well, following up on the palate, with a light citrus note. Philippe finds the soil similar to Chevalier-Montrachet in that when you plough you feel the slabs of stone moving below. Drink from 2027-2032. Tasted Oct 2024.

Wonderful. The Bouchères from Génot-Boulanger is a wine of marvellous complexity, with aromas of ripe apple and pear and hints of lemon peel, hawthorn flower, and spice. Although Guillaume Lavollée says that Bouchères can, 'fall into opulence,' that is not the case here, at least in a negative way, since the wine has a clean line and impressive freshness that carry it to an exceptional finish. Undeniably attractive now, it will be even better five years after bottling and will continue to improve for 20. (CC)

A fine mid yellow. There is just a little gun flint reduction on the nose., behind which some riper fruit shows with tropical tentacles. All comes into balance as the wine sits in the glass. Heightened limestone minerality further back on the palate, with ripened lemon skins as well. 70-year-old vines help to explain the weight. Drink from 2029-2034. Tasted Oct 2025.

The Delagranges have been tending vines on the slopes of Volnay since the 1600s. The modern domaine took shape in 1978, when Henri Delagrange and Gisèle Verdereau put their six hectares together, nearly all of it in Volnay and Pommard. Their son Didier joined after his viticulture studies and later took over with his wife Hélène, and over the next few decades they grew the estate to around 15 hectares across Volnay, Pommard, Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, Aloxe-Corton and the Hautes-Côtes de Beaune, with six hectares still in Volnay itself and a cuverie at the bottom of the village. Didier's son Alexei is the seventh generation. He's been at the domaine since 2017, has made the wines since the 2022 vintage, and keeps a cover crop on the ground all winter, ploughs rather than sprays, de-buds to hold yields down, defoliates and picks everything by hand. The flagship is the Volnay Vieilles Vignes, from vines between 80 and 100 years old, and the premier crus sit on three of the village's best-known slopes: Clos des Chênes, Champans and Santenots, with a Pommard Les Bertins alongside. The cellar work is restrained, with the aim of wines that smell precisely of where they come from, and the house style runs lacy and perfumed in Volnay, fuller and firmer a few hundred meters down the hill in Pommard.

Racked, as all the whites were, in early September, and still a fraction cloudy. A very light gunflint but more it is the white fruit to the fore, especially on the palate. Some citrus at the back to maintain freshness, and the fruit keeps kicking on during an extended finish. Leaves a fine aftertaste.

This is very fresh, and particularly so in the context of the 2023 vintage, with its layered array of a mix of various red berries, spice and more subtle earth influence. The succulent and lightly stony flavors exude a very subtle minerality that adds a sense of lift to the lingering finale that is shaped by relatively fine-grained tannins. Note that this is sufficiently supple that it could easily be enjoyed young.

A clear fresh colour, with a thoroughly energetic bouquet that is still classical Charmes. Excellent in the mouth too, very pure white fruit, good acidity, many layers to this and fine persistence. A fine expression of the vineyard and showing that 2023 does not lack concentration. As per the Chalumeaux, the grapes from the young vines suffered in the heat and were sold off. Drink from 2028-2036. Tasted Oct 2024.

Mid lemon yellow. The bouquet has a little softer orchard fruit compared to the Bourgogne, and is very true to its Meursault roots. The white fruit continues on the palate and is now joined by a saline note, while the ripe apples give an immediate appeal. There are little waves of flavour towards the back of the palate. Once again the aftertaste is fine, precise and thoroughly promising. Drink from 2027-2032.

The 2022 Meursault Village contains no new oak, as usual. The lively bouquet has enticing scents of dried honey, peppermint and orange pith. This just grows in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with a smooth, slightly viscous texture and fine acidity. It's quite spicy with a dash of stem ginger towards the persistent finish. Very promising.(NM)

There is a generous ripe apple fruit with an edge of citrus to this wine, accents of fresh white flowers and marzipan and a firm saline mineral underpinning. The texture is rich, yet there is plenty of energy to carry this to a pleasantly long finish. The grapes are from one hectare of the Pernot family holdings, planted by Alvina's grandfather, Paul Pernot and replanted to Chardonnay in the 1990s. Although Blagny is not mentioned on the label, this is where the grapes are grown. (CC)

Bid on this bottle of 1996 J.-F. Coche Dury Meursault "Rougeots" (95RP, 95WS, 94JG, 94ST). Wine Advocate: "The 1996 Meursault Rougeot has a killer nose that knocks the senses sideways with its intense mineralite that renders it more like a Chevalier-Montrachet. The palate has exquisite poise and harmony, a little more refined and controlled compared to the 1995 with again, a linear and taut, Puligny-inspired finish that is very long. Certainly, this is one of the finest Meursault Rougeot that I have tasted from the domaine. (NM)" (02/2014)

Complex aromas of sliced apples, honey, honeysuckle, lilies and pineapple. Subtle and perfumed. Medium body with some solid phenolics and tension at the end. Lightly candied grapefruit. Drink or hold.

The Les Tessons from Domaine Michel Bouzereau shows a lovely green apple and pear fruit aroma with hints of lemon peel and hawthorn. The texture is substantial, but the admirable tension keeps the wine lively and fresh on the palate. The grapes are from a half-hectare of vines planted in clay and limestone soils, the oldest of which was planted in the 1950s; they are gently pressed before fermentation and ageing in cask (25% new) over two winters.(CC)

A equally restrained if prettier nose reflects notes of petrol, spice, an abundance of mineral reduction, and a mix of pear, apple and floral wisps. There is both fine volume and richness to the plump yet decidedly punchy medium weight flavors that exhibit excellent length on the strikingly long bone-dry citrus-tinged finale. This is very classy and a wine that should age gracefully.*Burghound Sweet Spot Outstanding!*

The delicious Meursault Charmes from Alvina Pernot boasts ripe apple aromas with hints of acacia flower, butter, and hazelnut. The texture is rich, but there is enough acidity to keep the wine balanced through the pleasantly lingering finish. The grapes come from an exchange with a grower who has a parcel in Charmes Dessous. The reductive handling and limited use of new oak help make this a sleek, stylish wine, even in a hot year like 2022. (CC)

The 0.55ha holding on a moderate slope in Genevrières Dessus was mostly planted just after the Second World War. In spite of the age of the vines, there is something ethereal and almost sublime about this bottling, with aromas that vary from lemon peel to ripe apple, walnut and spice. The texture is silky and very fine, with an elegance that will only increase with age. Drinking Window 2024 - 2039. (CC)

Jean-Philippe has replanted almost 40% of the vines here recently due to the scourge of the rootstock 161-49B. Whatever the average age is now, this is a resplendent Tesson with textbook Meursault nuttiness, juicy orchard fruits and a lengthy, salted lemon finish. There is a lovely, crunchy texture on the palate with just a wee hint of attractive tannins. Delicious now but with plenty of time to enjoy down the road.

The western exposition of the Meix sous le Château vineyard adds a little more ripeness to the nose. There are enough minerals to support the middle, though a mite heavier at the finish. Fair acidity behind but that matches the weight well. Drink from 2028-2032. Tasted Oct 2025.

The Bourgogne Côte d’Or designation places this 2022 Chardonnay within Burgundy’s celebrated Côte d’Or, the narrow vineyard corridor that includes Meursault. Produced by Meursault-based Domaine Fabien Coche, this regional white Burgundy provides a useful introduction to the estate and its Côte d’Or origins.

This starts with a discreet nose that quickly crescendos on the palate. It’s a bold, delicious glass of Meursault that shows notably good concentration for the tricky vintage. It is also impressively well balanced between the medium body and gently cleansing acidity. Apple pie, graham crackers and toasted hazelnuts abound. Try waiting at least six to eight years for this. If temptation can’t be resisted, at least decant it.

Les Perrières takes its name from the old stone quarries associated with this part of Meursault. The vineyard holds premier cru status—the highest classification found in the village, which has no grands crus. Pierre Girardin’s 2024 Chardonnay comes from this named site in Burgundy’s Côte de Beaune. Pierre-Vincent Girardin grew up in Meursault as the thirteenth generation of a winegrowing family (his father is Vincent Girardin), and in 2017, at 21, he started his own label with the family’s parcel of Puligny Les Folatières. The domaine is still only about 4.5 hectares, but his family’s connections bring him fruit most négociants would trade a kidney for: old-vine Bâtard-Montrachet directly across the road from Lafon’s Montrachet, plus Corton-Charlemagne, Clos des Chênes and a few barrels of Montrachet itself. The winemaking is the old school Meursault: whole clusters are brought to the press, after which fermentation occurs with native yeasts in big barrels, followed up by a year on the lees, minimal sulfur, and alcohol that runs low for the Côte de Beaune. When young, the wines show the flinty, struck-match reduction that fans of Coche-Dury and Roulot will adore, and with a few years that gives way to the vineyard characteristics of each site.

Bid on this bottle of 2007 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Meursault 1er Cru "Charmes" (92BH). Burghound: "A completely different nose of roasted hazelnut, pear and peach is followed by rich, full and generous medium plus weight flavors that retain a fine sense of underlying detail and relief on the sappy, delicious and textured finish that also displays a subtle hint of backend minerality. Lovely and very Charmes." (07/2009)

Bid on this 3-bottle lot of 2014 Joseph Drouhin Meursault 1er Cru "Les Perrières".

Bid on this 3-bottle lot of 2016 Domaine Rémi Jobard Meursault 1er Cru "Les Genevrières" ((91-94VN), 91BH). Vinous: "(Jobard picked a full crop of grapes at the beginning of the harvest): Sexy scents of lemon drop and wild herbs. Tactile, juicy and spicy in the mouth, showing excellent lift and mineral energy to the flavors of citrus fruits, ginger and minerals. This wine is not lower in acidity after its malolactic fermentation than the 2015 was, noted Jobard. Finishes lively and long, with an intriguing saline nuance. A lovely vin de terroir in the making. (ST)" (06/2017)

A more elegant if more restrained nose somewhat grudgingly reveals its array of pear, acacia apple and citrus rind. There is more volume if perhaps not quite the same overt minerality to the delicious and detailed medium weight flavors that possess notably better depth and persistence on the balanced finale. This is really quite pretty and it should repay mid-term keeping.

Planted between 2006 and 2013 on land recovered from the woods at 400m altitude. Pale yellow with an elegant stylish nose, feel of fine stones, more weight at the back, yellow fruit, lingering really well behind. Sweetness of correct ripeness (12.5%), really very good and quite perfumed.

Note: from a .52 ha parcel. An overtly floral-suffused and markedly smoky nose displays nuances of acacia, lilac and rose petal along with touch of pear, citrus and discreet wood influence. Here too the medium-bodied flavors possess a gorgeous mouthfeel that is at once generous but punchy while retaining the innate class of a fine Charmes on the youthfully austere, balanced and citrusy finish that flashes excellent persistence. Impressive and a wine that is very much built to repay extended keeping.*Burghound Outstanding!*

This family-run domain, based in Meursault, was created by Julien Coche in 1940 and began as just one hectare of vines. His son Alain took over from him, expanded the holdings, and earned a high reputation for the vintages he produced. Alain is the cousin of Jean-Francois Coche of Domaine Coche-Dury. In fact it was not that long ago that the two domaines shared an almost identical label. Today the domaine is run by Alain's son Fabien and the wines feature a new, modern label. William Kelley writes in Wine Advocate: "Domaine Fabien Coche...is one of the most underrated sources of high-quality white Burgundy in the Côte de Beaune. Alain Coche took his time, leaving his wines on the lees to mature at a leisurely pace for two winters, and produced classically balanced, textbook Meursault that evolved beautifully in the cellar; today, his son Fabien follows suit, with a few small refinements: today, the Coche harvest takes two weeks, not one, with each parcel brought in at optimal maturity, and there are more larger-format barrels in the cellar alongside the regular Burgundian pièces. These are not stylized, flashy wines, and they aren’t as dramatic as some of the region’s more sought-after domaines on release, but readers with the patience to cellar them will be amply rewarded." (5/2019)

If you wanted to know who actually ran the vineyards at Domaine Leflaive during the Anne-Claude years, the answer was Antoine Lepetit de la Bigne. A Polytechnique graduate in agronomy and oenology, he spent eight years at Leflaive as the house’s biodynamic brain, co-founded the École du Vin et des Terroirs with Anne-Claude in 2008, and wrote the book on the subject (literally: “What’s So Special About Biodynamic Wines,” 2012). After her death in 2015 he left to consult, and half the serious organic cellars in the Côte de Beaune have had him walk their rows since. In 2021 started his own label, using fruit form the greatest growers he had come to know over his years in the Cote D'Or. Meursault is where the project shows its strength. The village wines come from old vines on the Volnay side, Les Perchots above and Les Malpoiriers below, next to En la Barre, and there’s a premier cru from Charmes Dessus, the upper, more limestone half of Meursault’s most famous climat. The winemaking is a practice in restraint: native yeasts, a mix of barrels and terracotta amphorae, with wood kept fairly quiet, leading to wines led by orchard fruits and depth of texture, with excellent drive and energy, and flashes of balanced weight. The Perchots and the Charmes Dessus are made in quantities of a few barrels each, so allocations are small and the wines don’t around often.

A fresher mid lemon yellow. The class is immediately apparent. A tendril or two of riper style chardonnay fruit. A burst of energy through the middle, even a suggestion of tannins, builds well without fattening too much, clearly plenty in reserve. A fine example.

Lafon's 2023 Meursault Charmes is an instant classic, with aromas of ripe apple and hazelnut accented with a bit of smoky reduction and buttery depth. The texture is rich yet lively, and the wine lingers persistently on the palate. It is produced from very old vines from 60-95 years old that are located at the southern end of Charmes Dessus, bordered by Perrières and Puligny-Combottes. The youngest vines are declassified, and the grapes are pressed as whole clusters before fermenting and ageing in cask (25% new) over two winters.(CC)

As is often the case, the Gouttes d'Or from Lafon is among the richest wines in the cellar, with aromas of melon and quince. Tasted out of barrel, there is a bit of reduction. The texture is dense – Pierre Lafon commented: 'It has broader shoulders because there is more soil and the parcel starts lower on the hillside compared to Bouchères.' This wine will open more fully in three to five years and drink for another 20.(CC)

The 2023 Meursault Clos du Cromin has an expressive nose with hints of lavender infusing the citrus fruit. It's quite vibrant compared to its peers. The palate is medium-bodied with a citrus-fresh entry. Touches of tangerine, apricot and a twist of sour lemon enliven the finish. Maybe not long-term, but this is a well-crafted Meursault. (NM)

Fine bright pale lemon. There is a wonderful serenity to the nose of this wine, which really fills out the palate behind, lemon infused flesh with a thrilling mineral acidity running through the middle. Again the lightest of touches and the longest of finishes, but with welcome flesh through the middle. *Five Stars*