Philippe Bouzereau
There are several Bouzereau families in Meursault that produce wine, and they are all related as cousins. Philippe Bouzereau's estate is situated in a vineyard surrounded by an old Cistercian wall in the heart of the village, and the domaine is based at 7 Place de la République. The vineyard has been passed down through generations, and while the current holdings stretch from Chassagne-Montrachet to Aloxe, Meursault serves as its center.
Philippe and his brother, Charles, run the business together. In the wine cellar, they adopt a minimalist approach based on practicality rather than ideology. No sulfur is added until malolactic fermentation is complete, and aging takes place in a combination of foudres, 300-liter oak barrels, and standard pièces.
The history
The name Bouzereau is highly connected to Meursault, and all of these families have been tied to the vine for generations. Philippe's family tree extends slightly beyond the village; one of his grandmothers was from Chassagne-Montrachet.
In 1995, his father purchased Château de Cîteaux, located in the heart of Meursault, along with Meursault Vieux Clos, a walled vineyard. He replanted vines in the Clos. The château itself was converted into a hotel and eventually sold, for a simple reason: running a hotel and managing a domaine are not one and the same, they are two full-time jobs that each require dedicated attention.
Philippe has been in charge of operations since 2006. The domaine's retail store opened at Meursault about 10 years before 2020 and later moved to a new building at 2 rue de Mazeray, the lower part of the Clos.
Today, the domaine is run jointly by the two brothers, Charles and Philippe Bouzereau, and places greater emphasis on environmental impact than it did a generation ago.
Seventeen hectares, Chassagne to Aloxe
Philippe Bouzereau cultivates approximately 17 hectares of vines along a long stretch of Côte de Beaune. It extends from Aloxe in the north to Chassagne-Montrachet in the south, with Meursault and Auxey-Duresses situated in between.
Most of this vineyard is located in Meursault. This includes the village parcels, the Premier Cru, and the walled Vieux Clos in the center of the village. Auxey-Duresses comprises Boutonières, a lieu-dit located on the slope immediately west of Meursault.
Even the regional wines are made from specific, named parcels rather than a hodgepodge of vineyards. This domaine's Bourgogne Côte d'Or is produced from three Meursault lieu-dits, the largest of which, Pellans, is planted with a mix of young and old vines.
The reason for this diversification is simple: a grower who owns vineyards in several communes has more leeway to offset a difficult year when it strikes one of those locations.
Chardonnay leads, Pinot Noir follows
Chardonnay makes up the bulk of the wines.
However, red wines are by no means an afterthought. Pinot Noir is used in Auxey-Duresses and regional wines, and the range is not simply a collection of red wines tacked on at the end; it covers both white and red.
The winemaking
Philippe Bouzereau does not use sulfur until the malolactic fermentations have finished.
Ageing happens in wood of several sizes. There are foudres (large wooden casks) in the cellar, some 300-litre barrels, and otherwise the standard Burgundian 228-litre pièce. The larger the vessel, the less oak character the wine picks up, which is part of why the oak sits so far back in these wines.
Cellar space is finite. Wines often move from barrel into tank before the next harvest arrives, simply because two vintages cannot sit in barrel at the same time, with bottling following in the winter.
The estate describes its vinification as something that keeps evolving, the aim being to let each terroir show what the vintage did to it rather than to impose a house signature on everything.
The wines
At the top of the white wine lineup is the Meursault Premier Cru, which includes Meursault Perrières and Meursault Charmes Premier Cru. Perrières is well-known for its tension and stony notes; Charmes, as its name suggests, is the softer of the two.
In addition to these, Philippe Bouzereau bottles both red and white wines from the Meursault village, Auxey-Duresses, Chassagne-Montrachet, and Bourgogne according to their appellations. Produced at the walled Cistercian vineyard within the village, Meursault Vieux Clos embodies the family ties to the former Château de Cîteaux vineyard.
Frequently asked questions
Is Philippe Bouzereau related to the other Bouzereau domaines in Meursault?
Yes. Several Bouzereau families make wine in Meursault and they are all cousins, each running a separate domaine.
Who runs the estate now?
Philippe Bouzereau has been responsible for the domaine since 2006 and works alongside his brother Charles.
Where is the domaine based, and can it be visited?
The address is 7 place de la République in Meursault, with the tasting room at 2 rue de Mazeray in the lower part of the Clos. Visits are by appointment, Wednesday to Saturday.
What is the link with the Château de Cîteaux?
Philippe's father bought the château and its walled vineyard in 1995. The hotel was later sold, but the Clos stayed with the family and is still farmed by the domaine.
