Meursault

Francois Mikulski is in the top Echelon of Meursault producers. His wines are bright, mineral, racy and incredibly fine.

With a Polish name and no traditions to keep in mind Mikulski and his wife Marie-Pierre were free to create something completely new when they founded Domaine Mikulski in 1992. The most obvious result was the labels for the bottles; far from the traditional Burgundian label, Mikulski wanted a label that looked like something hand written believing that it is what is inside the bottle that is most important.

He gained some work experience with Josh Jensen at Calera Wine Company in California, and has also exchanged ideas with Ted Lemon, who is winemaker at Littorai, when the latter was working at Domaine Roulot in Meursault.

In the vines Mikulski is a practitioner of lutte raisonnée, a system of cultivation that is essentially organic and non-interventionist. Lutte raisonnée entails holistic and balanced viticultural management with primary focus on the microbial health of the soil and the biodiversity of the vineyard.

After meticulous triage in the vineyards, Mikulski de-stems his Chardonnay and presses it very lightly followed by a complete débourbage (where the must is clarified prior to fermentation).

After a fermentation that typically lasts about 15 days, the new wine is racked into French oak barrels in which they undergo malolactic fermentation and élevage (aging) for a total of about 15-18 months. François uses only 20% new oak with his white wines.

Mikulski's wines have star status and can be found in the finest restaurants and also in the edgiest wine bars throughout France, Europe and the United States. Allen Meadows of Burghound is a particular fan and regulary gives great praise to his wines.