2017 Lucien Le Moine Meursault 1er Cru Les Gouttes D'Or

The 2017 Lucien Le Moine Meursault Premier Cru Les Gouttes d'Or is a mature 100% Chardonnay from one of Meursault's most highly regarded Premier Cru vineyards in Burgundy's Côte de Beaune. Les Gouttes d'Or lies on the classic Meursault Premier Cru slope, close to Genevrières and Porusots, and its name - literally "drops of gold" - is wonderfully appropriate for the rich, golden style historically associated with the vineyard. Lucien Le Moine itself is the micro-négociant founded by Mounir and Rotem Saouma in 1999, specialising exclusively in Premier Cru and Grand Cru Burgundy. Rather than owning vineyards, the maison works with tiny quantities of carefully selected wines from growers, carrying out extended élevage in its Beaune cellar. The 2017 Gouttes d'Or is a full-bodied, dry Chardonnay at approximately 13% alcohol, and production from Lucien Le Moine is characteristically extremely limited.

After almost a decade of bottle development, the 2017 should now be showing a fascinating combination of ripe pear, yellow apple, peach and preserved lemon, moving towards hazelnut, butter, pastry, toast and savoury spice, while retaining the mineral acidity expected from serious Meursault. Lucien Le Moine's élevage traditionally produces wines of considerable texture and intensity when young, making bottle age particularly rewarding. The 2017 vintage itself is regarded as an elegant and balanced white Burgundy year, giving the wine enough freshness to carry its natural Meursault richness.