Handford Wines

The cellars of the young François Mikulski lie directly behind the great Comte Lafon. Inside there are some 300 barrels, most new and only three of them filled with the great Meursault 1er Cru ‘les Genevrières’. Since 2003, there is a new installation to the east of the village but the big wines will never move from their spiritual home in Meursault. The wines are heavyweight with cream, butter, vanilla and a little toastiness (his Nevers oak is of medium toast). The fruit of the Meursault is very tropical and peachy in style. The 1er Cru ‘les Poruzots’ is more traditional, showing honey, yeast and mineral characters. 1er Cru ‘les Genevrières’ adds a vegetal, artichoke dimension and is truly awesome. Indeed I am forever fighting against the demanding Americans for these wines.

The Wine

Francois Mikulski honed is skills early on at Comtes Lafon at the Clos de la Barre winery, the most famous producer in Meursault. Now, he competes with the best and allocations are cringefully small. In the 1er Cru Charmes vineyard, the soils are deeper and richer and tend to yield more opulent and heady characters in the finished wine. There are more exotic fruit characters and supple acids. As in all the 1er Cru wines, the distinction is in the length, though this vintage is better for drinking a little earlier. The warmer 2003 vintage seems to have stressed the mineral characters of the vineyard more than most. One might expect too much overt richness and ripeness – but instead there is elegance and complexity that give this wine good longevity in the cellar. Drink from 2007 to 2014.

Single Bottle: £38.99

In a case of 12: £37.04