# Domaine Guy Bocard Meursault Premier Cru Charmes (2023)

- **Producer:** Domaine Guy Bocard
- **Colour:** white
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Chardonnay
- **Region:** Burgundy, France
- **Style:** Classic
- **Alcohol:** 13.5%
- **Average price:** €150
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Later
- **Serving temperature:** 11–14 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** blossom, peach, apricot, pear, apple, butter, toast, vanilla, hazelnut, almond

## About this wine

Domaine Guy Bocard, established in the 1920s in Meursault, has a rich history of crafting classic Burgundian whites. For nearly fifty years, Guy Bocard championed the estate's reputation. Following its acquisition by the Derichebourg family in 2018, the estate underwent a dynamic revitalization, achieving organic certification in 2022. The legendary low-intervention winemaker Philippe Pacalet was brought in as a consultant, shifting the style toward high-tension minerality and minimal oak influence. Today, a young team of vignerons, Pierre and Thomas, manages the daily operations under Pacalet's guidance. This Premier Cru is sourced from the highly prized 'Les Charmes-Dessus' climat, situated on the upper slopes adjacent to the iconic Clos des Perrières, where 50-year-old vines thrive on calcareous clay and marly limestone soils.

## Interesting facts

- The estate achieved full organic certification in 2022, reflecting a deep commitment to biodiversity and soil health.
- Consulting winemaker Philippe Pacalet, a legend of low-intervention wine, guides the estate's modern, high-tension style.
- Sourced from Charmes-Dessus, the highest and most prestigious section of the Charmes Premier Cru vineyard.
- Vines in this parcel average 50 years of age, yielding deeply concentrated and mineral-driven fruit.

## Food pairing

This rich, textured Meursault Premier Cru demands dishes with matching weight and complexity. Its vibrant acidity cuts through decadent, buttery sauces and rich proteins like lobster, scallops, or veal, while its subtle oak integration and mineral backbone complement earthy elements like wild mushrooms and aged mountain cheeses.

## Wine making process

The winemaking process at Domaine Guy Bocard emphasizes low-intervention and precision. Grapes are hand-harvested in small 20 kg crates with strict sorting in the vineyard. A long, progressive whole-bunch pneumatic pressing is performed to gently extract juice and delicate phenolics. Spontaneous alcoholic fermentation is carried out using only indigenous yeasts in 228-liter French oak barrels (pieces), followed by full malolactic fermentation. To preserve the purity of the fruit and terroir, batonnage is kept to a minimum, and sulfur additions are strictly limited. The wine is aged for a total of 18 months: 12 months in Burgundian oak barrels (with only 10% new oak to prevent wood dominance) and a final 6 months of settling in stainless steel tanks prior to bottling.