Meursault Le Meix sous le Chateau Jean-Philippe Fichet 2021

Description

Jean-Philippe Fichet is a grower from Meursault who is driven by the desire to make great wines. From the second you enter his immaculate cave you know there will be serious wine to be found. The spotless converted barn close by l'Hôpital in Meursault is airconditioned and provides a welcome relief from his scattered and cramped conditions of a few years ago. Jean-Philippe's father bottled a few wines himself but mostly sold in bulk. The Bourgogne Blanc, Meursault Criots, Gruyaches and Puligny Montrachet Referts come from him. The other wines are on share-cropping agreements with various owners. Fichet’s big step forward came in 2000 when he moved the whole operation to splendid cellars at ‘Le Creux du Coche’ by the Hôpital de Meursault where he has been able to oversee all aspects of vinification and maturation with much greater efficiency. He has a negociant’s licence to enable him to buy the owners part of the wines he makes under the share-cropping system, as well as his brother’s and sister’s vines. Jean-Philippe is looking for purity in his wines. He uses whole bunches when the grapes are fully ripe, but crushes some in less ripe years before pressing. The juice is left to settle for 12 hours and the fine lees are retained. They may occasionally be stirred but as gently as possible. 

This small vineyard is shaded in the morning but gets all the afternoon sun. There’s clay in the lower part by the river, then gravel as the slope rises. The vines are over 60 years old. This is always the plumpest Meursault in the range, the heavier soil leaving its thumbprint. There are fabulous cream and butterscotch notes.

Did not frost, being among the last to be pruned and on the later developing 3309C rootstock. Plenty of immediate fruit with some generosity. Very good flesh here, almost an old style buttery Meursault. Jasper Morris