2021 Bitouzet Prieur Meursault 1er Perrieres

This is one I’ve been anticipating since tasting at the Domaine a year ago, January of 2023.  Obviously, the tasting was outstanding, but it was in a new facility (wowza) and I’m finding that ever since Francios Bitouzet started vinifying in the new facility, the wines are finding that extra dimension that prior to the move, I had felt was lacking. 

I don’t know the last time that many of you have tried the Bitouzet Prieur wines but I recommend you try this vintage; a debuts for the new facility.  The  whites have that precision and energy that I look for in great white burgundy.  The quality here has been elevated to a place that people are starting to take notice.  I tried to buy everything I could on the Perrieres as the wine is absolutely exceptional!

After some difficulty locating Francois Bitouzet’s newly completed, state-of-art facility in the industrial portion of Meursault, we were well rewarded for our efforts once safely ensconced inside. Upon entering a nondescript warehouse we were welcomed into a smartly appointed foyer that contained a number of offices along with a beautiful reception area. Francois Bitouzet appeared moments later to extend a generous handshake and warmly accept our profuse apologies for being lost and late!

We toured the facility, which was immense in size. Not only was there ample space to work but it had every modern piece of winemaking equipment imaginable. Countless stainless steel tanks to allow him to precisely control each cuvee. Imagine having a blank check and designing your dream winery…voilà. That is my best description for what Francois has created. It is quite a step up from the modest cellars of the family Domaine in Volnay!

We sat in a beautiful tasting room with some of the coolest “soil samples” he had custom made that were hanging on the walls. It was a slice of the soil that showed not only the dirt but the layers of rock and how that composition was different in each of his vineyards. As he described what was

involved in getting these soil samples, the blank check again came to mind.

Don’t miss trying this vintage of Bitouzet and please tell me what your palette answers when asked, “What can money buy?”