Product information

Domaine Henri Germain Meursault ‘Les Chevalières’ 2019

Chardonnay from Meursault, Côte du Beaune, Burgundy, France

$206

$196ea in any 3+
$186ea in any 6+
Closure: Cork

Description

A slightly cooler nose reflects notes of spice, freshly sliced apple, petrol and a whiff of hazelnut. The delicate but emphatically punchy flavors exude evident minerality on the sneaky long finish. Like the straight Meursault, I very much like the texture of the lilting mid-palate. A wine of finesse and understatement.

Allen Meadows, Burghound

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Check out all of the wines by Domaine Henri Germain

Why is this Wine so Yummy?

Wanna do a little deep dive into Meursault? Check out the article “Getting Your Head Around Burgundy Part 5 – The White Village of Meursault” in the Wine Bites Mag.

The youngest vines here are 35 years old, and Germain’s six parcels cross both the lower and upper (dessous and dessus) parts of the vineyard, although most are at the top of the climat abutting the Puligny Premier Crus. This is why certain experienced tasters claim that Germain’s Charmes is often his most ‘Puligny’ wine. Great growers tend to teach us that what we think we know about Burgundy may have as much to do with historical, political and economic factors as it does with any reality on the ground. In short—and it may be sacrilege to say so—a Meursault Charmes can be as great as a Perrières, especially if it comes from the right part of the vineyard and, if the grower is willing to do the hard work.

“I have been saying it for years but I will say it again: if you don’t know these wines, you should because the quality is just too good to ignore.”

Allen Meadows, Burghound

About Domaine Henri Germain

Last year, I argued that Domaine Henri Germain might well be Meursault’s best-kept secret, and this year, despite signs that the world is taking notice, I repeat that claim. This is a superb source for classically balanced, artisanal white Burgundy that’s built to age, and the softly spoken Jean-François Germain is justly one of the village’s most well-respected vignerons. The 2018 vintage has turned out very well at this address, and Germain describes it as “quite classic, with average acidities and no extremes of alcohol.” The wines are harmonious and charming, and they will be unusually approachable by Germain’s standards—no bad thing for readers new to this domaine who wish to acquaint themselves with its unimpeachably classical wines. I have reserved some 2018s for my own cellar, and I encourage readers who appreciate authentic Meursault to do the same. The wines reviewed here from barrel, which I tasted in November 2019, will be bottled in March-April 2020.

“Domaine Henri Germain might well be Meursault’s best-kept secret. This is a superb source for classically balanced, artisanal white Burgundy that’s built to age, and the softly-spoken Jean-François Germain is justly one of the village’s most well-respected vignerons.”

William Kelley, The Wine Advocate

Since Germain remains comparatively under the radar, it’s worth reiterating that viticulture here is organic and vinification decidedly traditional, the wines spending two winters in barrel on the lees, if possible without racking and almost invariably without bâtonnage. In the domaine’s cold cellars, alcoholic and malolactic fermentations are protracted, but Germain is content to take his time. The resulting wines are concentrated but incisive, with fleshy fruit but firm structural bones that demand time in the cellar. In the last decade, the style has become a little less austere and reductive, but the domaine remains old-fashioned in the best sense. Considering the quality to be found here, this seven-hectare estate deserves far greater celebrity, and though I suspect Germain isn’t especially interested in seeking out acclaim, it’s sure to arrive sooner rather than later.

If you have a little French, Jean-François explores the history of the Domaine in the flick below.

In the Vineyard

The Germain methods are very traditional with organic farming and low yields, we don’t have much info, but, given what’s in the glass he must be looking after the vineyard well.

In the Winery

It’s hard to find much about the Domaine’s winemaking practices. At the end of the day it’s what’s in the glass that matters.

However, there are a couple of insights I can glean from the info available. First, it’s clear from the potential alcohols, ranged from 12.5% to 13.5% in white and averaged 13% in red in the warmer 2018 vintage, that Jean-François’ vineyards yield flavour ripe fruit at this level, and he is picking to retain freshness and natural acidity. We should see reflected beautifully in the glass. Jean-François specifically spoke to the low pH and high natural acidity in his wines; there’s loads of science behind this, you can read about some of it in the Wine Bites Magazine article: Q&A with Paul: “Do winemakers need to add tartaric acid to keep it fresh and age-worthy?”

Second, Jean-François spoke of the long slow ferments at the domain, noting that many were still going 10 months into élévage. In a commercial winery a white wine fermented using cultured yeast instead of wild yeast will finish its ferment in a few weeks. Typically new world winemakers often get stressed out of their minds if ferments take much longer than this. However, over time with greater use of wild yeast in the new world, we’ve grown more comfort with longer slower ferments.

Alex Moreau of Domaine Bernard Moreau et Fils, Chassagne-Montrachet, Burgundy joined me at Yering Station for the 1999 vintage. I can tell you one thing, diversity definitely leads to inspiration and creativity, particularly when you throw a young, motivated, thought leader with real world experience like Alex into the mix. What do you do with such an asset? Easy, you unleash them on some decent fruit, sit back and watch. When you’ve got 1400T of fruit to play with, what have you got to lose! Alex did a mini-experiment dragging out the ferments of 4 barrels of Chardonnay over just a couple of months. The end result? A build in mid-palate depth, a trait that differentiates good Chardonnay from great Chardonnay, presenting a more complete and even mouthfeel.

When I see long slow ferment from a European maker, thinking of this time and the impact on the wine takes me to a happy place.

The 2019 Vintage at Domaine Henri Germain

From William Kelley:

The more Germain wines I drink, the more I admire them. Several years ago, I described this as Meursualt’s most underrated address, and I can only repeat that today because the wines are so good, as the world certainly seems to be taking more and more notice of what is going on at this discreet, family-owned domaine. Jean-François Germain reported that yields were below average, even if he was largely spared by the frost, ranging from a low 25 hectoliters per hectare to a correct—even relatively generous—50 hectoliters per hectare. The musts’ pHs, he added, were notably lower than in 2018. After sampling these superb 2019s, some of the finest Côte de Beaune whites I tried in my three months of tasting, I couldn’t resist opening a 2018 from my cellar—and based on its showing, and despite its comparatively open-knit structure, I really implore readers to let this vintage unwind undisturbed in the cellar for a year or two, as they will be richly rewarded with additional depth and texture.

Since this seven-hectare estate remains comparatively under the radar, it’s worth reiterating that viticulture here is organic (though uncertified) and vinification decidedly traditional, the wines spending two winters in barrel on the lees, if possible without racking and almost invariably without bâtonnage. In the domaine’s cold cellars, alcoholic and malolactic fermentations are protracted, but Germain is content to let the wines take their time. Percentages of new oak are decidedly moderate (contrary to whatever one might read elsewhere), and derive from Meursault’s Tonnellerie Damy. The resulting wines are concentrated but incisive, with fleshy fruit but firm structural bones that demand time in the cellar. In the last decade, the style has become a little less austere and reductive, but the domaine remains old-fashioned in the best sense.

Where in the World is Domaine Henri Germain

Germain is based in Meursault with fruit coming from Chassagne-Montrachet and Beaune.

Click to view detailed map of Meursault
89-92 Points

A slightly cooler nose reflects notes of spice, freshly sliced apple, petrol and a whiff of hazelnut. The delicate but emphatically punchy flavors exude evident minerality on the sneaky long finish. Like the straight Meursault, I very much like the texture of the lilting mid-palate. A wine of finesse and understatement. Drink: 2026+ ♥ Outstanding Top Value

Allen Meadows, Burghound

91-93+ Points

More chiseled and tightly wound than the more enveloping Limozin, Germain's 2019 Meursault Les Chevalières mingles notes of citrus zest, beeswax, crisp green apple, white flowers and fresh bread. Medium to full-bodied, layered and concentrated, it's tangy and incisive, with fine concentration and a chalky finish.

William Kelley, The Wine Advocate

Where in the world does the magic happen?

Germain Henri et Fils Domaine, Rue du Moulin Judas, Meursault, France

Meursault
Côte du Beaune
Burgundy
France