Armand Heitz Meursault Vireuils 2022

Armand Heitz Meursault Vireuils comes from one of the highest and coolest lieux-dits in Meursault, up on the shoulder of the slope above the premier cru band.

Meursault growers have always bottled their named village plots separately, and Vireuils is among the more distinctive of them, sitting well up the hill on shallow stony soil where the vines see cooler nights and ripen later than those on the mid slope. Armand Heitz took over the family vines in the Côte de Beaune in the 2010s and has drawn attention for farming organically and pushing further into regenerative, polycultural agriculture, with livestock, trees and hedgerows worked back into the estate. In the cellar the approach is understated, with whole bunch pressing, natural fermentation and ageing mostly in used barrels.

A good match for oysters, crab or grilled white fish; serve at around 12 degrees and drink within the first eight years or so.

*Every effort is made to ensure the current vintage is accurate; however, variations can occur. If you are after a specific vintage, please contact us prior to ordering.

Type: White Wine
Style: Medium-bodied, Tensile, Mineral-driven
Grape Varietal: Chardonnay
Tastes Like: Comparable to a premium oaked Chardonnay, but leaner, saltier and more mineral than a New World example
Alcohol Percentage: 13%
Closure: Cork
Size: 750mL
Appellation: Meursault AOC
Region: Meursault, Côte de Beaune, Burgundy, France
Terroir: The Vireuils lieu-dit high on the slope above the village, on shallow soils over limestone
Aging: Whole bunch pressed, fermented with indigenous yeasts and matured in oak barrels with restrained use of new wood
Serving Temperature: 12℃ – Serve chilled

Armand Heitz took over his family’s vines in the 2010s, working from Chassagne-Montrachet and Pommard, and has since become one of the more closely watched young growers of the Côte de Beaune. The vineyards are farmed organically with a regenerative approach that brings livestock, trees and hedgerows back among the vines, an old Burgundian arrangement that had all but disappeared.

Meursault sits between Volnay and Puligny-Montrachet on the Côte d’Or, and although it holds no grand cru it is the largest and best known source of white Burgundy. Vireuils lies high on the slope above the village, where cooler conditions and shallow soils over limestone tend to give a tighter, more tensile style. The Chardonnay is whole bunch pressed, fermented with indigenous yeasts and matured in oak barrels, with new wood kept restrained.

Poultry: Perfect with roast chicken, poulet aux morilles or guinea fowl
Seafood: Excellent with scallops, lobster, turbot or crab
Mushroom: Pairs beautifully with morels, ceps or a mushroom tart
Cheese: Ideal with soft washed rind cheeses and aged Comté

Époisses: The great Burgundian washed rind, rich enough to meet the wine’s texture
Comté: Nutty and firm, echoing the wine’s oak-derived depth
Brillat-Savarin: Triple cream and buttery, balanced by the wine’s acidity
Charolais: A Burgundian goat cheese, bright and chalky against the wine’s weight

Poulet à la Crème et aux Morilles (Burgundian Chicken with Morels)

Ingredients (Serves 4):

• 1 free-range chicken, jointed into 8 pieces
• 30g dried morels
• 2 French shallots, finely chopped
• 200ml dry white Burgundy
• 300ml thick cream
• 40g butter
• 1 tbsp neutral oil
• 1 sprig thyme
• Salt and white pepper
• Steamed rice or fresh tagliatelle, to serve

Instructions:

1. Soak the morels in warm water for 30 minutes, then lift them out and reserve the soaking liquid, straining it carefully to leave any grit behind.
2. Season the chicken and brown it in the butter and oil in a heavy pan until golden. Remove and set aside.
3. Lower the heat, add the shallots and cook gently until soft and translucent without colouring.
4. Pour in the white wine and reduce by half, scraping up the caught juices.
5. Add the morels, the strained soaking liquid and the thyme, then return the chicken to the pan.
6. Cover and simmer gently for 30 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
7. Lift out the chicken, stir the cream into the pan and reduce until the sauce coats a spoon.
8. Return the chicken to warm through, season with salt and white pepper, and serve with rice or tagliatelle.

The classic dish of the Côte d’Or table, Poulet aux Morilles is the natural partner to Meursault. The wine’s texture and gentle oak sit comfortably in the cream, while its underlying acidity keeps the sauce from cloying and its nutty depth mirrors the earthiness of the morels.