PATRICK JAVILLIER Meursault 1er Cru 'Les Tillets' 2023 Bottle

Description

IN BRIEF
Patrick Javillier Meursault 1er Cru Les Tillets 2023: limestone-driven Chardonnay from a warm Côte de Beaune vintage with cool nights. Pale gold, it shows pear, white peach, baked quince and citrus blossom over saline crushed shell, wet stone and toasted almond; gentle oak and lees give warm brioche, beeswax and silky texture. Broad yet precise, orchard fruit and citrus oil lead to a creamy mid-palate from bâtonnage, bright acidity and a clean mineral thread to a persistent finish. Food pairings: seared scallops with brown butter & lemon, roast halibut with herb beurre blanc, truffled mushroom risotto. Top critics: Jancis Robinson 17.5 — “kaleidoscopic… crackling with acidity”; Jasper Morris 92 — “splendid energy… limestone clarity”; Vinous 91 — “stonier, more reserved… fresh and vibrant.”

ABOUT THIS WINE
The 2023 growing season in the Côte de Beaune was warm with cooler nights at the end of ripening, producing Chardonnay with ripe aromatics and good natural acidity when handled carefully. Patrick Javillier Meursault 1er Cru Les Tillets 2023 is drawn from limestone rich parcels that give a firm mineral spine beneath generous fruit. Grapes are hand harvested and gently pressed, fermentation taking place largely in French oak barrels of which a modest proportion is new. Elevage on fine lees with occasional bâtonnage builds mid palate weight and a silky texture while careful oak use preserves freshness and vineyard expression.

The wine pours a pale gold with green highlights and an inviting, open nose. Pear, white peach and baked quince lead, joined by citrus blossom and a suggestion of lemon curd. Beneath the fruit there is a saline seam of crushed shell and wet stone, while toasted almond and warm brioche from the oak add gentle savoury warmth. A discreet beeswax and apricot perfume rounds the aromatic palette and hints at developing complexity.

On the palate the 2023 is broad yet precise. Orchard fruit and citrus oil fill the entry, then a creamy mid palate emerges from lees influence, giving weight without heaviness. Acidity is bright and balancing, keeping the wine poised and long. Tannic imprint is barely perceptible, the texture instead driven by fine phenolic grip and a clean mineral thread that runs through to a persistent finish. Mid palate notes of marzipan and a touch of bitter almond provide depth while a faint herbaceous lift adds freshness as the wine evolves in the glass.

Suggested drinking window 2026 to 2036. Serve chilled at 10 to 12°C. Food pairings include seared scallops with brown butter and lemon, lobster thermidor, roast halibut with a herb beurre blanc, creamy chicken fricassee, truffled mushroom risotto or a goat cheese tart. Overall this Les Tillets is elegant, textural and rewarding, offering immediate charm and genuine mid term cellaring potential.

JANCIS ROBINSON 17.5 points
Drink: 2027 > 2040
Struck match, but delicate. So much fruit, so much thrill. This is kaleidoscopic and pixelated with flavour. Brimming over and crackling with acidity and energy and also satin ribbons of texture. You could drink it now for the breath-gasping adrenalin of the ski run, or you could wait for the magnificence and stature to unfold. (TC)

JASPER MORRIS 92 points
Mid lemon yellow, with a most attractive ripe fruit nose, still with its characteristic hint of lime blossom. Splendid energy on the palate, with a hillside thread providing limestone clarity, and just a little fresh pepper at the finish. In bottle.
Drink from 2027-2031.
Tasted Dec 2024.

VINOUS 91 points
Drinking window: 2026 - 2038
The 2023 Meursault Les Tillets has a stonier, more reserved bouquet than the Clos du Cromin, with light petrichor and beeswax scents. The palate is fresh and vibrant with a keen thread of acidity, more linear yet more energetic than other cuvées. This is very promising.
Neal Martin. Tasting date: January 2025

DUNELL'S 93 points
Colour is pale gold with green highlights. Nose of pear, white peach and baked quince with citrus blossom and a hint of lemon curd. Underneath there is a saline seam of crushed shell and wet stone plus toasted almond and warm brioche from gentle oak. Broad yet precise on the palate with orchard fruit and citrus oil up front, a creamy lees mid palate and bright, balancing acidity. A clean mineral line leads to a persistent finish with marzipan and a touch of almond. Best 2026 to 2036.

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ABOUT PATRICK JAVILLIER
Patrick Javillier is widely regarded as one of Meursault’s finest vignerons, producing white Burgundies prized for their clarity, precision and ageworthy texture. The domaine farms six parcels within a single notable lieu dit totaling 1.7 hectares, with vines ranging from thirty to seventy years old. These mature vines deliver concentrated, site specific fruit that forms the backbone of wines combining floral lift, bright acidity and a generous, layered mid palate.

In the vineyard Javillier focuses on low yields and attentive canopy management to encourage even ripening and aromatic intensity. Grapes are carefully monitored and harvested by hand to ensure optimal maturity. Soils vary across his parcels, and he works each site to express its particular mineral and textural signature. His approach reflects a commitment to letting terroir lead while applying precise viticultural care to support healthy fruit and balanced natural acidity.

The cellar is where Javillier’s reputation for thoughtful technique is most apparent. He is a reflective and experimental winemaker who has long argued for extensive élevage on the fine lees as essential to the wine s future development in bottle. Most cuvées spend roughly a year in barrel and are then racked and moved to tank to continue maturation on fine lees for an extended period. This regimen builds a silk like texture and complexity without sacrificing freshness or primary fruit clarity. Fermentations are managed to preserve aromatic purity and the use of oak is judicious, chosen to support texture rather than dominate the fruit.

In the glass Javillier s Meursaults are notable for being open and expressive from an early age while retaining the structure to evolve gracefully over many years. Aromas typically include white flowers, citrus blossom, pear and stone fruit with subtle nutty and mineral threads emerging with age. The palate pairs fine salinity and focused acidity with a rounded yet racy finish that keeps the wines lively.

Overall Patrick Javillier represents a modern classic in Meursault, combining rigorous vineyard work, old vine concentration and disciplined cellar techniques to produce wines of finesse, depth and longevity. For collectors and lovers of refined white Burgundy his bottlings are essential and consistently rewarding with careful cellaring.