Jean-Michel Gaunoux Meursault Premier Cru Les Gouttes d’Or 2021 750ml

90-92 The 2021 Meursault Goutte d’Or 1er Cru has a touch of menthol on the nose, quite complex with fine delineation, orange pith and lemon zest becoming more prominent with aeration. The palate is well-balanced, fairly linear and tensile. There’s a fine line of acidity, but maybe it just needs to “kick on” towards the finish. Instead, it prefers to play it a bit safe compared to other cuvées.

• Country: France
• Region: Burgundy
• Appellation: Cote De Beaune
• Sub Appellation: Meursault
• Size: 750ml
• Color: White

Varietal

Chardonnay

Of all the white wine grape varietals, surely the one that has spread the furthest and is most widely appreciated is Chardonnay. This green-skinned grape is now grown all over the Old and New Worlds, from New Zealand to the Americas, from England to Chile, and is one of the first varietals people think of when considering white wine grapes. Perhaps this is because of its huge popularity, which reached a peak in the 1990s, thanks to new technologies combining with traditional methods to bring the very best features out of the Chardonnay grape and allow its unique qualities to shine through. Most fine Chardonnay wines use a process known as malolactic fermentation, wherein the malic acids in the grape juice are converted to lactic acids, allowing a creamier, buttery nature to come forward in the wine. No grape varietal is better suited to this process than Chardonnay, which manages to balance these silky, creamy notes with fresh white fruit flavors beautifully.