Domaine Joseph Voillot Meursault 1er Cru Les Cras 2022

Les Cras is something of an anomaly in the Voillot portfolio — a domaine overwhelmingly celebrated for its reds producing a white Meursault premier cru of real distinction. It is also one of the lesser-known crus in the appellation, which keeps it accessible even as it consistently outperforms its relative obscurity. The domaine's holding produces only 600 to 900 bottles annually, from vines planted in 1963 and 1980 in the upper part of the climat — a stony, gravelly, well-draining zone with brown limestone soils of early ripening character. The terroir sits mid-slope, with brown limestone soil, gravelly and shallow, containing Oxfordian scree — a lean, stony profile that drives precision and minerality rather than the richness and weight of Meursault's deeper clay parcels below. Jean-Pierre Charlot vinifies in wood but without new oak, a choice that ensures the terroir is never obscured by élevage.

The result is a Meursault premier cru of genuine finesse — the mineral register rather than the opulent one. A high-toned and admirably pure nose of fresh citrus and acacia blossom leads to detailed and energetic medium-bodied flavours with good mineral drive and fine cut and grip on the long and well-balanced finish. Stony and high-toned, with a pure bouquet of confit lemon, chamomile, pear and chalky soil tones — a wine the domaine itself describes as fine and mineral, at its best between three and ten years. Rich and concentrated with great acidity and focus, it reminds you that the name Cras itself is rooted in the local word for chalk — and that this wine wears its geology honestly.