2007 Meursault Les Narvaux

Tangerine and lemon in the nose of Girardin’s 2007 Meursault Narvaux lead to a concomitantly refreshing palate tinged with chalk and the bitterness of citrus pips and toasted nuts. A sense of underlying extract and satiny richness of texture keep this from seeming spare, and the long, saline, chalky finish – which really tugs at the salivary glands – is frankly quite reminiscent of the Saint-Aubin Dents de Chien that preceded it in my tasting. Here too, I suspect a wine worthy of 6-8 years of attention. This was not only harvested late, it was also Girardin's last wine of the vintage to be bottled. Vincent Girardin picked until past mid-September, with most of his top sites being brought in only from the 10th; allowed skin contact he would have avoided until recent years; and beat the lees on his young wines only until Christmas, but then bottled – with a light fining, and in many instances no filtration – only in May, 2009 to maximize passive time on the lees. The regimen of new wood here (now 20-30% depending on cru) represents a drastic diminution in just the past several years, and the 2007s strike me as far more comfortable in their skins than those of 2004-2006, benefiting also from the freshness and vivacity that characterize the vintage. He picked a week too late in 2006, opines Girardin with hindsight, but then, this was almost unavoidable in at least some instances for a vintner with such huge acreage. Girardin finds his 2007s especially marked by the typicity of each individual site, not only to a greater degree than in the two more obviously ripe preceding vintages, but also than in 2008. This is an aspect he is convinced will gradually be enhanced by a conversion to biodynamic methods that is underway. Girardin's 2007 musts were selectively chaptalized and finished wines here are largely in the vicinity of 13% alcohol. As usual, given the vast array of estate and negociant wines at this address (the latter status noted, where applicable, in my texts), I was not able to take time for tasting them all; in particular omitting the generics. Importer: Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL; tel. (205) 980-8802