Meursault producer Arnaud Tessier had to step up at a young age to manage his family domaine, when his father Michel unexpectedly died. Michel had habitually sold most of the production to local negociants, but Arnaud decided he would bottle as much as he could under his own name. With such good sites in the family portfolio, it was a rational decision, and twenty years on Domaine Tessier is flourishing. Arnaud is a ferocious worker who spends a lot of time in the vineyards, usually alongside his wife Catherine. In total, they farm 7.5 hectares, organically. Their wines are very much in a racy, high-energy style, and Arnaud keeps the amount of new oak low.
There are some very well-sited vines in this portfolio. The Bourgogne Blanc Cote d’Or blends fruit from Meursault and Puligny; it has the mid-palate richness of a Meursault Bourgogne, but the drive on the finish is all Puligny. The Champ Perrier vineyard borders the Puligny plot of Corvees des Vignes, and the Bourgogne Blanc Champ Perrier is unusually good at its level. Arnaud’s village Meursault brings a very racy tension to some rich fruit, with subtle oak influence. Les Casses-Tetes takes its name from the broken stones that lie around the vineyard (which was once a quarry) and is a hard site to work, but can make some extremely rewarding wines. And Arnaud’s recently replanted plot in the Genevrières vineyard is a source of great pride to him. (NT 09/04/26)
