Albert Bichot Domaine Du Pavillon Meursault

Albéric Bichot made a structural decision that most large Burgundy négociants have never replicated: rather than centralising vinification in Beaune, he built six geographically dispersed estate wineries, each vinifying only its own sub-region's fruit. The Meursault in this bottle was made at Domaine du Pavillon, the house's 17-hectare Côte de Beaune estate, which also holds Corton-Charlemagne and the Pommard monopole Clos des Ursulines — a deliberate choice to keep terroir fidelity intact at scale.

Meursault's soils here are the classic Côte de Beaune profile: limestone-rich with clay and marl subsoil, moderately elevated on the mid-slope, delivering the textural weight and latent richness that defines the appellation. The 2022 growing season — hot and dry with an early harvest — pushed Chardonnay to full physiological ripeness, producing a wine with generous aromatic intensity and a broad, enveloping palate weight.

Vinification follows Domaine du Pavillon's white-wine protocol: barrel fermentation in a mix of used and new French oak (approximately 25% new oak, Tronçais and Allier, light toast), with 12–15 months of aging on lees before bottling. The estate has been certified organic since the 2018 vintage — unusual for a house operating at this production scale across six estates. The 2022's ripe, full-bodied character is approachable now but carries sufficient structure for medium-term cellaring through 2030.