Jockovino

Meursault, Les Charmes is a 31.12 hectare Premier Cru climat in Meursault. Lying at the southern end of the commune on the border of Puligny-Montrachet, just down slope from Les Perrières and adjacent to Les Genevrières, Les Charmes is the largest of Meursault’s Premiers Crus and each of its two subclimats, Les Charmes-Dessus (the upper parcel)  and Les Charmes-Dessous (the lower parcel) is larger than Les Perrières and almost as large as Les Genevrières.  Les Charmes faces south and southeast from an altitude varying between 230 and 260 meters.  The soils of Les Charmes are deep clay and limestone, silty and pebbly with traces of iron.  Due to their lower position on the slope, Meursault Les Charmes are richer and heavier than the thin, stony soils of Les Perrières above it, and more typical Meursault Premier Cru. Though less steely and racy than Perrières, and less spicy than Genevrières,  Charmes produces round and lush Meursault of great elegance, style and harmony  

In the view of many critics, the better wines originate from the upper section of the vineyard,  Les Charmes-Dessus. Clive Coates has even suggested that the lower climat, Les Charmes-Dessous, could be downgraded to village status. Notwithstanding this criticism, however, it remains undisputed that the quality level of Les Charmes-Dessus, rivals that of Les Perrières and Les Genevrières. The name Les Charmes comes not, alas, from any special allure or enchantment of the vineyard, but derives more prosaically from the pre-Latin root of champs, and means simply field or meadow. .  

Among the best parcels of Les Charmes are those produced by François Mikulski and Dominique Lafon, all of which are well-situated in Les Charmes-Dessus.   Mikuksi’s two parcels, which total .80 hectares, were planted, respectively, in 1913 and 1930. Lafon’s 1.71 hectare parcel includes vines at the extreme southern part of the vineyard, immediately next to the Les Combettes climat of Puligny-Montrachet. Lafon’s oldest vines were planted in 1946 by Auguste Morey; the next oldest  by Pierre Morey in 1963; and the most recent by Dominique Lafon in 1996.