Domaine Bitouzet-Prieur Meursault 1er Cru Les Charmes 2020

"As with many of Burgundy’s great Domaines, Bitouzet-Prieur is the result of a marriage which united two Burgundian families, the Bitouzet family that settled in Volnay in 1804 and wife’s Annie Prieur family, with vineyards located in Ladoix and Meursault. Today the Domaine spans 12 hectares across some of the finest 1er Cru Sites in the Cote de Beaune under which approximately one-third has been planted with Chardonnay and the other two-thirds with Pinot Noir. Vincent and Annie had only one son, François Bitouzet who manages the estate today, having inherited a number of prime holdings including Taillepieds, Caillerets and Clos des Chenes in Volnay and Charmes and Perrieres in Meursault, among others. They have practiced organic viticulture without any use of herbicides since 1993.

From the 2019 vintage, vinification has taken place within a state-of-the-art new winery located on the outskirts of Meursault, which comes complete with a customised cuverie as well as temperature and humidity-controlled maturation cellars all under the same roof. The whites are fermented and aged in barrel with no more than 20% of new oak. The reds experience a brief cold maceration, before being completely destemmed (apart from the 2021 Volnay Les Aussy which unusually had 25% whole bunch fermentation) with a twice daily “pigeage.” -Winery notes