2023 Domaine Monthelie-Douhairet-Porcheret Meursault 750 ml

Douhairet-Porcheret rose to fame under André Porcheret, the genius vigneron who wears an honor unique in the world: Lalou-Bize Leroy tapped him to be the original winemaker for Domaine Leroy, whose wines now fetch thousands—even tens of thousands—of dollars. It feels like it’s just a matter of time before the price of Douhairet-Porcheret wines go the direction of Leroy.

The 2023 Meursault, made by Porcheret’s granddaughter from 60-year-old vines on a laughably small portion of the Millerands climat, is a stunner from a vintage characterized as the “rarest of birds,” by the venerable British retailer Berry Bros. & Rudd. The year boasted fabulous quantity and quality, which is affording Burgundy lovers a prime opportunity to put some away. 

This is especially important for a wine like this, which is imported in a minuscule quantity—think 50 cases for the entire country—by Martine’s Wines, one of the most esteemed importers of Burgundy in the US. Most is snapped up by Michelin-starred restaurants like Eleven Madison Park, SF’s Angler, and Napa’s La Toque. Only when the stars align do we get a shot. 

Cataldina Lippo, André Porcheret’s granddaughter, studied at his side before taking over winemaking duties with her husband, Vincent Monfort, in 2004. Since then, the couple has infused the cellar with a new sense of dynamism. Burgundy Report once declared their lineup “the most impressive set of wines that I tasted from any new name.”

William Kelley of Wine Advocate goes deeper in his praise: "I've been visiting regularly for several years now, and I'm consistently impressed by the wines' progress: destemmed grapes, classical macerations and élevage with moderate percentages of new oak are the rudiments of what remains a fundamentally traditional approach, but under Cataldina's fastidious tenure, the wines have become purer and more elegant, improving year in, year out.” 

The Meursault comes from 60-year-old vines on a 0.24-hectare parcel named Les Millerands that sits at the Puligny-Montrachet side of Meursault. The wine, after being manually harvested from the clay-limestone soils, was fermented with native yeasts and macerated in 228-liters for two or three weeks. The wine aged in oak barrels, 30% of them new, for 15 months before bottling.