Meursault 1er cru Poruzots 2022 Domaine François Mikulski

The Meursault 1er Cru Poruzots 2022 from Domaine François Mikulski is the absolute emblem of the domaine in white wine terms, the magnificent Poruzots de Mikulski as those who know it affectionately call it, a bottle that counts among the most precise, mineral and sought-after Meursault of the Côte de Beaune. From 62 ares of fifty-year-old organically farmed vines, this Premier Cru too little known shines with rare crystalline lustre, traversed by a taut, chiselled limestone minerality that makes it one of the appellation's great wines for ageing.

The terroir of Poruzots

The name Poruzots derives from the old French word Porroux, meaning 'stony place', and this etymology is kept with every tasting. Domaine Mikulski's parcel, 62 ares facing due east in the very heart of Meursault's Premier Cru slope, rests on the same soil profile as the Volnay Santenots du Milieu: a brown layer of horizontal silts some thirty centimetres deep atop fissured bedrock. This remarkable subsoil combines two decisive advantages: excellent moisture retention as silts infiltrate the rock fissures, allowing Chardonnay to feed itself even in dry periods, and deep root development that nourishes the wines with a minerality of rare purity and verticality. Poruzots is often described by connoisseurs as the Chassagne of Meursault, more empyreumatic than Charmes or Genevrières, as taut and vertical as Perrières, a Premier Cru that looks toward tension and mineral rigour rather than the buttery generosity of its better known neighbours. This cuvée draws almost exclusively from the upper section of the parcel, the stoniest, poorest and most mineral part, which multiplies its intensity and precision tenfold.

Tasting profile

The colour is pale gold with silver glints, crystalline and luminous, of absolute limpidity. The nose is sophisticated and shows immediate complexity: omnipresent, iodic chalk notes intertwine with aromas of roasted hazelnut and tonka bean, acacia honey and breadcrumb, citrus and candied pear, with touches of white flowers and a light smoky note characteristic of this stony terroir. The aromatic palette, both rich and delicate, evokes fresh chervil, lime and kiwi at times, with subtle lactic notes of whipped cream. On the palate, the concentration and tension are striking: bright, precise acidity structures ripe, concentrated flesh with spiced and peppery intensity that surprises and fascinates. The structure is tight, vertical, with penetrating pencil-chalk minerality of extraordinary persistence, a sensation of verticality and tension few Meursault Premiers Crus can claim with such clarity. The finish is endless, with exceptional persistence and purity, vibrant with bitter citrus and gentle spices. A wine built for ageing, at its best from 2026 onwards for the next twenty years.

The domaine

François Mikulski founded his domaine in Meursault with his wife Marie-Pierre in 1991. Son of a Polish officer of Free France, Mieczyslaw Mikulski, who escaped Nazi-occupied Poland in 1939 to join the Free French Forces in England where he met his future Burgundian wife, he himself embodies a profound attachment to Burgundy and its terroirs. His ten-hectare domaine, cultivated in non-certified organic agriculture, comprises four Meursault Premiers Crus: Genevrières, Charmes old vines, Goutte d'Or and Poruzots, the latter from vines inherited from his uncle Pierre Boillot. Today, his son-in-law Thomas Boccon conducts the domaine alongside him, continuing with the same care and conviction a path of excellence built over more than thirty years. White wine vinification is done with pneumatic pressing and strict débourbage, long fermentation of three to four months with indigenous yeasts, and ageing of 16 to 18 months in oak with only 20 percent new wood, to preserve the purity of the fruit and terroir definition without embellishment.

Food pairings

This Meursault 1er Cru Poruzots pairs beautifully with roasted cod fillet with citrus beurre blanc, sea bass roasted in salt crust, grilled lobster, pan-fried scallops with chive butter, sole meunière or poultry in cream sauce. It can also be enjoyed with Robuchon-style mashed potato with truffle butter, Burgundy snails or porcini risotto. A long decanting of two hours is advised in its youth, given how structured and closed the wine initially is. Served between 12 and 14 °C, it will progressively reveal all the crystalline minerality and impressive persistence of one of Meursault's most accomplished Premier Crus.