Domaine MICHEL CAILLOTMeursault
Michel Caillot treads his own path to produce singular, characterful wines of deep fruit and complex umami flavours. His wines contrast today’s ultra-fresh, zippy Meursault.
Background
Michel Caillot’s domaine, in the village of Meursault, has a somewhat Heath Robinson air about it – but explore inside these deep, cold cellars and you will find a unique collection of wines. Michel is a proponent of long lees ageing. After a year in barrel, he transfers his wines to tank alongside their lees, where they remain for up to three or even four years post-harvest. This extended lees contact gives the wines that are full flavoured and textually rich but never fat. The flavours are complex and integrated, hard to pin down. The sense of terroir, of the earth, is present from the Bourgogne Blanc ‘Herbeaux’ right through to the deep, savoury, and complex Bâtard. These are singularly expressive wines which drink beautifully from release but can age for many years. In the vineyard organic practices are followed, no herbicide has been used for over 30 years.
Whole clusters and wild yeasts are the norm here; the wines are moved mainly by gravity and racked just once, from barrel to tank, between fermentation and bottling, which takes place with no filtration. The top 1er and Grand Crus see 50-70% new oak, the other wines 10-25%. The oak is carefully managed, it remains in the background supporting rather than masking the flavours of each vineyard. These are singular, expressive wines which show a different side to white Burgundy. These are not reductive, mineral wines in the modern style. They are full-flavoured, textured, with good underlying acidity and grip, blending pithy citrus fruit with an uncommon savoury depth.
Current Vintages
| White Wines | Vintage |
|---|---|
| Meursault [Read More] The key here is the incredibly cold, deep Caillot cellar. This means fermentation is long and slow which seems to add complexity and depth to the wines. Caillot keeps the wines in barrel, around 30% new, for the first year, then moves them to tank for further ageing. This long contact with the fine lees nourishes the wine, adding layers of flavour while emphasising the wines structure and finesse. It is very unusual now to have such a long elevage but when skillfully undertaken it can produce wines of super complexity and longevity. | 2015 |
| Puligny Montrachet 1er Folatières [Read More] The largest of Puligny’s 1er Crus. The village’s influence can be seen in its chalky freshness and drive, while Caillot’s style show in the characteristic nuts and rich citrus fruit flavours. The result is a muscular, full flavoured wine, sinewy and powerful. | 2014 |
| Domaine Michel Caillot Meursault Clos du Cromin [Read More] I often think this is Caillot’s finest Meursault – it shows a balance between rich, succulent fruit and racy, mineral acidity that really excites me. | 2015 |
| Domaine Michel Caillot Meursault Meursault La Barre Dessus Clos Marguerite [Read More] Just over a wall from Lafon’s famous Clos de la Barre. However, the soil in La Barre Dessus isn’t as stony, and gives a richer, less structured wine which matures earlier. Lovely sense of Meursault depth here, with succulent fruit and Caillot’s trademark savoury breadth. | 2015 |
| Domaine Michel Caillot Meursault Tessons [Read More] We first tasted this from tank with Michael in October 2020, just before it was bottled. Michel then sent a finished bottle to London, and on re-tasting we confirmed our initial impressions – this is a wonderfully poised expression of Tessons, a site with great potential. Tessons lies to the west of Meursault, at approximately the same height as Les Perrières and the top of Genevrières. It is steeply sloped with poor, easily eroded soil and well exposed to the East. Perhaps just a little cool for 1er Cru status, it is nevertheless one of the top Lieu-Dit of the village. In Michel’s 2017 we find plenty of evidence for the quality, and relative coolness, of the site – it is racy, intense and almost painfully tight today, but opens with time in the glass to show fresh lemon and lime fruit, alongside the breadth of Meursault and the more savoury depth which comes with Caillot’s long lees ageing. Beautiful progression across the palate, building in weight and structure, before a long, focused finish fills the mouth and senses with mouthwatering grapefruit and limes. | 2017 |
| Red Wines | Vintage |
|---|---|
| Bourgogne Rouge | 2015 |
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