Domaine François Mikulski : Meursault 1er cru "Goutte d'Or" 2023

Characteristics and Tasting Notes for the Meursault 1er Cru "Goutte d'Or" 2023 from Domaine François Mikulski

Tasting

Color

The wine shows a pale gold hue, bright and youthful, typical of a barrel-aged chardonnay still far from any oxidative evolution.

Nose

After a few swirls, the nose opens on a register of great freshness, with notes of white flowers, acacia, chervil, and lavender, alongside an impression of purity reminiscent of clear water running over marble. White-fleshed fruit then comes forward, recalling freshly sliced Granny Smith apple, white nectarine, Conference pear, and Italia grape, gaining density with aeration and revealing hints of flower honey. Lime and grapefruit notes round out this aromatic picture, reinforcing the overall sense of freshness.

Palate

The palate is immediately sapid, with a fine, silky texture animated by flavors of lemon, blood orange, and mandarin, combining crisp acidity with more suave, slightly bitter accents. This citrus-driven fruit gains depth through an intense spicy thread, where white pepper, Sichuan berry with minty nuances, Espelette pepper, saffron, ginger, and wasabi all come into play, lending the wine a lively, almost tactile dimension. The finish is long, saline, and smoky, carried by this spicy energy toward a remarkable persistence.

Food and wine pairings

This wine pairs beautifully with fine poultry served in cream sauces with mushrooms, as well as with delicate fish such as sea bass or sea bream prepared in a crust. Its bright citrus character and spicy finish also make it a fitting match for shellfish served with a lightly tangy sauce.

Serving and cellaring

The Meursault 1er Cru "Goutte d'Or" 2023 is best served at around 12°C, ideally after two to three hours of aeration or decanting, allowing its floral, fruity, and spicy aromas to fully unfold. This vintage may be enjoyed now and should continue to evolve nicely through about 2039.

A Meursault 1er Cru from Domaine François Mikulski Built on Mineral Tension and Spice

The Estate

Domaine François Mikulski was founded in 1991 in Meursault, Burgundy, by François and Marie-Pierre Mikulski, with their first vintage released in 1992. The estate farms roughly 9.5 hectares across 12 appellations, following organic-leaning practices without certification, hand-harvesting its grapes and vinifying with indigenous yeasts. François Mikulski, still at the head of the domaine today, is recognized among Meursault's leading producers, with his son-in-law Thomas Boccon gradually preparing to take over the family estate.

The Vineyard

The Meursault 1er Cru "Goutte d'Or" comes from a tiny 0.2-hectare plot within this historic climat, farmed by the domaine since 1992 under a sharecropping agreement with the Boillot family. The vines, roughly 40 years old and planted entirely to chardonnay, grow in limestone bedrock arranged in thin plates, giving the wine its characteristic mineral vibration and coolness despite the climat's golden-sounding name.

Winemaking and aging

Hand-harvested a few days after the domaine's Poruzots plot, the grapes destined for the Meursault 1er Cru "Goutte d'Or" 2023 are pressed in a pneumatic press before the must undergoes a thorough settling. Fermentation relies solely on indigenous yeasts, after which the wine is aged on its lees in oak barrels for about twelve months, with roughly 20% new oak, a choice meant to preserve the climat's mineral character rather than mask it with toasted notes.

Grape Varieties

100% chardonnay.