2017 Meursault Narvaux

Jean-François Mestre compared his estate’s 2017s to their 2014s “in that they are structured wines with notes of white fruits and good ripeness and concentration.” Chardonnay yields were not excessive, he told me, averaging about 45 hectoliters per hectare. “The vines that had been frosted in ’16 produced good crop levels in ’17—and vice-versa,” he added. None of the ‘17s will be bottled with more than 13.2% alcohol, according to Mestre. According to Jean-François's son Nicolas, who has been working with his father since 2009 and now shares decision-making duties, the estate began cutting back on batonnage in 2007 and these wines have gained in energy, precision and minerality as a result. The 2017 malos were late in this cold cellar, and a couple of the top wines had not finished as of the time of my visit.