Les Plures

Les Plures sits within the commune of Meursault in the Côte de Beaune, with an east-facing aspect and elevations reaching up to 260 meters. The soils are a distinctive mix of pebbles and clay over a limestone base, with significant red clay content throughout. This red clay composition is the key to understanding the vineyard's character: it favors red grape varieties rather than the white grapes that define Meursault's broader reputation. The continental climate typical of Burgundy governs growing conditions here.

• East-facing aspect up to 260 meters elevation
• Red clay and pebble soils over limestone base
• Continental climate conditions
• Located within the Meursault premier cru appellation boundaries

Les Plures holds a dual classification that reflects its unusual position in Burgundy's appellation system. White wines produced from Chardonnay carry the Meursault Premier Cru designation, while Pinot Noir grown in the same vineyard cannot legally use the Meursault name and instead qualifies as Volnay Premier Cru Santenots. This arrangement makes Les Plures one of the more administratively complex premier crus in the Côte de Beaune. The appellation was officially created on July 31, 1937. The vineyard also appears in documents and on some labels under the alternate names Les Pétures and Les Petures.

• White wines: Meursault Premier Cru designation
• Red wines: Volnay Premier Cru Santenots designation
• Appellation created July 31, 1937
• Also referenced as Les Pétures or Les Petures

The Les Plures designation rarely appears on white wine labels, a consequence of the terroir being better suited to red wine production and the greater prestige attached to the Volnay appellation for Pinot Noir grown here. The most celebrated producer associated with this parcel, Comtes Lafon, has never used the Les Plures name commercially. Instead, the domaine has bottled the wine under the old cadastral name Désirée since the 19th century, a practice that continues today. This makes the vineyard one of the more historically layered sites in Meursault, where the official appellation name, the cadastral name, and the commercial label all diverge.

• Les Plures name rarely seen on commercial white wine labels
• Comtes Lafon uses the 19th-century cadastral name Désirée for their parcel
• Red wine producers favor the Volnay Premier Cru Santenots designation for added prestige
• Multiple naming conventions coexist for the same geographic site

A small group of producers work with fruit from Les Plures, though not all label their wines with the vineyard name. Comtes Lafon is the most prominent, releasing their wine as Meursault Désirée. Domaine Jacques Prieur, Arnaud Baillot, and Morey-Blanc (Domaine Pierre Morey) are also notable growers here. Given the red clay soils, producers bottling under the Volnay Premier Cru Santenots designation from this site are able to leverage a more marketable appellation name, which partly explains why the Les Plures identity remains obscure despite the quality of the terroir.

• Comtes Lafon bottles as Meursault Désirée, referencing a 19th-century cadastral name
• Domaine Jacques Prieur and Arnaud Baillot are active producers
• Morey-Blanc (Domaine Pierre Morey) also holds parcels here
• Red wine producers typically label as Volnay Premier Cru Santenots