Recent wines from François Mikulski, Meursault
François Mikulski, based in Meursault, is a producer of superb quality Côte de Beaune whites and reds. François himself is a frank, intelligent wine maker. On to his wines. Most wines are from purchased grapes.
These initial wines tasted in February of 2009.
Aligoté Vieilles Vignes 2007 Picked when the skin turns pink/golden (doré/rosé), as is common on this part of the côte. Fine as aligoté goes but limited by the potential of this grape.
Cremant de Bourgogne First bottle corked. Second had excellent mousse, find bead, rich Chardonnay/lees characters, riper than anything you’d find in Champagne. A good source for Cremant.
Meursault 2006 Lifted aroma of oats, vanilla, good quality oak. The palate shows more dried lemon. Excellent structure for 2006. Good concentration for village level. Long, refreshing finish. Very good wine. The Meursault is an assemblage of three vineyards, the best of which is Le Limozin which is beneath Genevrières Dessous. Some years, like 2007, Le Limozin is bottled separately.
Meursault Charmes 2006 Powerful and yet beautiful nose of dried lime, lemon syrup, crème brûlée. Harmonious palate with a fine structure, balancing acidity, elegant finish. Superb.
The 2007 premiere crus had only been assembled that morning in tank, not the best time to taste them. So, I would expect them to be better after a few months in bottle.
Bourgogne Blanc 2007 From Les Herbeux, where the old village cemetery is, under Clos de la Barre. Correctly made, some character you wouldn’t always find it for a wine of this appellation.
Meursault 2007 Big step up in quality, touch of oak on the nose but dominated by lemon zest aromas. The palate is fine, long, fresh. Good.
Meursault “Le Limozin” 2007 Excellent for village level, blind many would say premier cru. I can see why he separates it in suitable years. Excellent complexity and persistence.
Meursault Les Gouttes d’Or 1er Cru 2007: Another layer here, oats and lemon juice on the nose, zingy acid on the palate. The palate just lacks some fruit sweetness and leaves me wanting. It may build in bottle. Needs 10 years to show I feel.
Meursault Poruzots 1er Cru 2007 Smoky and tight on the nose, very dry, even austere, on the palate. After a few minutes, shows some richness and complexity. Good for the appellation which is not a renowned Meursault 1er cru.
Meursault Charmes 1er Cru 2007 Now we’re talking! Classic Charmes, that balance of richness and elegance. Honey, dried lemon, touch of burnt sugar. Excellent balance. The palate has the fruit sweetness I’ve looked for in 2007 and rarely seen. Unending finish. Superb quality. Highly recommended.
Meursault Genevrières 1er Cru 2006 Beautiful, crystalline texture on the palate. Cereal aromas to the nose. The finish ends quite dry, a hint of tannin even. Excellent but I prefer the Charmes.
Meursault Perrières 2007 Some reduction on the nose. After vigorous shaking, this mostly departs (good sign) to reveal gun smoke, match stick, a touch of ginger, sea spray, very rich and more worked than the previous wines — but not over the top. Minerally in the mouth, very long, fine, mouth filling. Excellent wine.
and on to the reds:
Volnay Santenots de Milieu 2007 WOAH! One of the best 2007s I’ve seen in barrel. An amazing array of aromas on the nose: cherry, cranberry, raspberry, roses, rhubarb. In the mouth, a thrilling display of what for me is the essence of Burgundy: wave after wave of flavours. The tannins are so fine, the acid crisp but not over done. Hunger inducing. Like first love. Absolutely superb. I’m going to buy at least a case after bottling.
Aloxe Corton Les Vercots 1er Cru 2006 Still in barrel (?!?): much less aromatic, doesn’t show any volatility from being in barrel so long. Drying tannins, firm acidity, not as plush as many 2006s, not doubt because it has been in barrel so long. Vines from Madame’s family, perhaps she has a say on the bottling date?
Volnay Caillerets 2007 Beautiful, subtle wine, not as showy as the Santenots but excellent nonetheless. Similar tannic structure, slightly raspy but unique to Volnay. Excellent.
Volnay Caillerets 2006 Reduced nose out of bottle, very rich in the mouth remains muted. Needs time to come out of its shell, it seems.
More recently, I’ve had:
Meursault Poruzots 1er Cru 2006 Extremely tight on nose and palate. Doesn’t show the year, seems more like a 2007. Seems to lack power on the finish. A confusing wine.
Meursault Caillerets 1er Cru rouge 2006 An extremely rare wine, a Meursault 1er Cru rouge! Gloriously lifted and showy on the nose, very 2006. Beautiful clean open wine in mouth with great length. Yum! I feel guilty that I seem to like François’s reds more than his whites, when he is primarily a white wine producer. I think that the reason is, his whites are very minerally and taught and his reds, while structured, very plush.
Volnay Santenots du Milieu 1er Cru 2006 Wow! What a great wine. Rhubarb, chalk, bitter cherry. Heaps going on. I could drink this wine all night! Excellent length and complexity already, although it will go for ten more years easily. I think the 2007 had slightly better structure but we’ll see.
