2023 Domaine Xavier Monnot Les Chevalieres Meursault 750 ml

No village in Burgundy has been more exciting in the last decade than Meursault.

Although there are no Grand Crus in Meursault, some of the most coveted and expensive white Burgundies hail from the village. But, as in many regions that have experienced a surge of interest, there are still opportunities to be found if you know where to look.

Enter Xavier Monnot, who we'll stake as one of Meursault's leading producers. Monnot makes tiny quantities of his exceptionally thoughtful, superb wines that are marked by beautiful precision and finesse—and fortunately, his pricing hasn't caught up to the Arnaud Ente or Roulots of the world.

Monnot's Les Chevalières comes from one of the most prized parcels in Meursault village—a site that produces $250 wines and Coche-Dury's $1,200+ bottling. His 2023 comes from a vintage that rewarded careful producers: hot and generous, yielding wines of real richness and depth in the right hands.

Counting Luchets, Meix Chavaux, and Tesson as famous neighbors north of the village, Les Chevalières is home to 40-year-old vines and shallow, stony soils with a limestone substrate. Xavier Monnot's skill in handling the vineyard means he presses the grapes gently before fermenting and aging the wine in 25% new, 350-liter French oak barrels. Those are about 1/3rd larger than standard barriques, so the impact of the oak is more elegant—it imparts structure and grace notes without overwhelming the wine.

The result expresses a beautiful combination of deep orchard fruit like baked quince and succulent white peaches, married to an almond-cream richness and a chalky minerality that keeps everything balanced and precise. It's a brilliant Burgundy.