2007 Meursault Chevalieres

Fichet's 2007 Meursault Les Chevalieres originates in the upper portion of this site (nearly touching Meix Chavaux and Les Luchets) with beneficial drainage and wind exposure. When you taste a wine like this, it's hard not to believe that somehow the chalky mother rock and stones of the site have somehow entered the wine, as there are scents and flavors one can only call stony and chalky, to the point of a tactile sense of dustiness. Setting aside what might be superstition, and turning from the stony elements on display here, there is also an ester-rich, high-toned essence of green herbs that lends a lovely cleansing sense to both the aroma and flavors, and marries beautifully with the lime and white peach fruit that serves for refreshment. Toasted almond and honey lend richness to this clear, vivacious and as already mentioned (at least metaphorically) mineral-inflected Meursault that finishes with mesmerizing and reverberating length. I would anticipate this being worth following for at least 5-7 years. Jean-Philippe Fichet's emphasis on retaining clarity and refreshment (via - inter alia - passive lees contact, high CO2 retention, and widespread use of demi-muids rater than barriques) positioned him to ideally avoid the pitfalls of 2006. But in 2007 his approach proved equally successful, resulting in wines that are in no way too lean, and that are for the most part youthfully expressive. -I'm only the orchestra's conductor.- comments Fichet. -Nature dictates the repertoire.- Nonetheless, he has shown a great talent for bringing out the best in each recent vintage.The Fichet 2007s - brought in almost entirely between the 10th and 14th of September - combine extract with energy and elegance, and he thinks they will continue to demand patience in bottle. Finished alcohols are mostly in the upper 12s, arrived at with, in Fichet's words, -very little- chaptalization. He encouraged long fermentations to enhance richness and complexity in his 2007s, although he says this meant walking a tightrope as regards volatility. For a few comments on how his earlier vintages are showing, see the conclusion of my note on this year's Meursault Tessons. The Rare Wine Company, Sonoma, CA; tel. (800) 999 4342

Good lemony lift to the aromas of minerals and vanillin oak. Dense, rich and sweet, with a classic creamy texture leavened by a sappy quality that extends the wine's finish. The longest of these 2007s to this point.

Very creamy and pure lemon aromas. Lovely depth and breadth on the palate but kept in shape by fine acid outline and purity of fruit. Marked intensity. (JH)