Bourgogne Côte d'or Chardonnay 2024 Domaine François Mikulski

The Bourgogne Côte d'Or Blanc 2024 from Domaine François Mikulski is the ideal and most accessible entry point into the world of one of the most admired domaines on the Côte de Beaune, a bottle that, as those who know it say so well, plays in the big leagues without the label to prove it. From two parcels of Chardonnay planted just on the edge of Meursault, cultivated with rigorous biological methods, this wine embodies perfectly the philosophy of François Mikulski and his son-in-law Thomas Boccon: authenticity, purity and elegance in every glass, whatever the appellation.

The terroir and the vines

The two parcels at the origin of this Bourgogne Côte d'Or are planted in 100% Chardonnay across a total area of 3 hectares, one from 1986 and the other from 2005, both situated just at the boundary of the celebrated Meursault appellation, a border that says nothing about soil quality. The subsoil is composed of fine river alluvium, common in the lower part of the Meursault slope, which ensures good moisture retention and natural root freshness. This soil profile, more supple and clayey than the limestone of the Premiers Crus, gives the wine a roundness, natural fat and remarkable length on the palate for a regional appellation, characteristics directly inherited from the immediate proximity to Meursault. The vines are cultivated in uncertified natural organic agriculture, with homemade composts, ploughing, environmentally respectful phytosanitary products and rigorous maintenance of soil biological balance. Yields are controlled at 45–50 hl/ha for whites, well below permitted maxima. After pneumatic pressing and severe settling, fermentation is conducted with wild yeasts, followed by ten months ageing in oak barrels with a modest proportion of new wood, then two months in vat before bottling, a low-intervention approach that lets the terroir express itself fully.

Tasting profile

The colour is pale gold with luminous green glints, bright and with fine depth. The nose displays remarkable complexity for a regional Burgundy, with aromas of Conférence pear, Reinette apple and white peach mingling with notes of dried fruit, citrus, green lemon, grapefruit and yuzu, spring flowers, lemongrass and a light, delicately integrated buttery and brioche note. Fresh coriander, verbena and acacia honey add richness to this complex and luminous palette. On the palate, caress strikes from the attack: silky and seductive, the structure is ample and fruity, with a density and natural fat that directly evoke Meursault's proximity. The acidity is fresh, precise and well integrated, bringing tension and straightness to the whole. The finish is long, spiced and slightly peppery, with a persistence and purity that far exceed the appellation rank. A refined and just Burgundy, in the pure and direct style that marks the domaine constantly.

The domaine

François Mikulski founded his domaine in Meursault with his wife Marie-Pierre in 1991, first vintage in 1992. Son of a Polish officer in the Free French forces, Mieczyslaw Mikulski, who escaped occupied Poland in 1939 to join the Free French Forces in England, where he met his future Burgundian wife, he has built over more than thirty years one of the most respected and sought-after domaines on the Côte de Beaune, universally recognised for his Meursault in four Premiers Crus, Genevrières, Charmes, Poruzots and Goutte d'Or. Today, his son-in-law Thomas Boccon runs the domaine alongside him with the same demands and conviction. As François Mikulski likes to say himself: "A good wine is a wine that is drunk." A philosophy that says everything about the man, far from fashion and speculation, guided by authenticity and wine purity, which must reveal with elegance and tension the identity of each terroir, whatever its hierarchy.

Food pairings

This Bourgogne Côte d'Or Blanc will pair beautifully with scallops in supreme sauce, gravlax salmon with fresh herbs, mushroom and parmesan risotto, fresh pasta with chive cream or small roasted chickens with tarragon and peas. It will also be delicious with a board of soft cheeses such as Brie de Meaux or Brillat-Savarin. Served between 10 and 12°C, it will reveal all the precision, freshness and purity of a Burgundian Chardonnay of rare elegance for its rank.