Domaine Sebastien Magnien, Meursault, Les Grands Charrons 2022 - 75cl

Meursault without the Meursault price tag — or as close as Burgundy gets these days. Les Grands Charrons is a village-level plot on the northern side of Meursault, up towards Volnay, and Sébastien Magnien farms it with a lighter hand than the old butter-and-oak school. His wines lean fresh and precise, which suits this cooler corner of the appellation.

The grape is Chardonnay, of course, and in 2022 — a warm, generous year across the Côte de Beaune — it has real flesh without losing its line. Expect a nose of acacia and hawthorn blossom over white orchard fruit, with the gentle buttered-toast and hazelnut notes that say Meursault, held in check rather than laid on thick. There's a wisp of something greener too, cut ginger and wild herb.

On the palate it's lively and refined: mouth-watering lemon and green citrus, a pithy grapefruit grip, and that classic Meursault weight underneath — creamy but never heavy. The finish carries a fine almond-and-hazelnut echo that lingers. Drink it now with a decent decant, or give it three or four years to build the truffle-and-honey depth these wines find with age.

How to Serve

Serve at 11–13°C, a touch warmer than most people pour their whites — too cold and you lose the aromatics. Use a full white Burgundy glass. A young bottle like this opens beautifully with twenty minutes of air.

Where to Drink It

The River Cafe, whose Italian cooking flatters a fine white Burgundy. Noble Rot Soho for its serious by-the-glass Burgundy pours. Wiltons on Jermyn Street, for classic fish cookery and a proper cellar.

Food Pairings

This is roast chicken wine, plainly and gloriously. Failing that, a piece of turbot or halibut in a buttery sauce, or a wedge of Comté after dinner.