Les Vignes Blanches
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A rare Meursault Premier Cru climat named for its gravelly white limestone soils, producing mineral-driven Chardonnay on the mid-slope below Santenots.
Les Vignes Blanches is a 0.41-hectare Meursault Premier Cru climat on the Côte de Beaune, prized for its gravelly limestone soils. The vineyard sits on an east to southeast-facing mid-slope below the Santenots vineyard. Uniquely, a portion qualifies under Volnay Premier Cru Santenots regulations, allowing Pinot Noir grown there to be labeled as Volnay.
- Located in Meursault, Côte de Beaune, Burgundy, France
- Classified as Meursault Premier Cru for white wines (Chardonnay)
- Documented producer parcel size of 0.41 hectares
- East to southeast-facing aspect at mid-slope elevation, below Santenots
- Soils composed of gravelly white limestone, clay, marl, and silt
- A section of the vineyard falls under Volnay Premier Cru Santenots regulations for red wine
- Most producers blend this climat into generic Meursault rather than bottling it separately
Location and Classification
Les Vignes Blanches sits within the commune of Meursault on the Côte de Beaune, classified as a Meursault Premier Cru. The climat occupies a mid-slope position directly below the better-known Santenots vineyard, with an east to southeast-facing aspect that supports steady ripening in Burgundy's temperate continental climate. The vineyard's name references its defining characteristic: gravelly white limestone soils that distinguish it visually and geologically from its neighbors.
- Parent appellation: Meursault Premier Cru
- Position: Mid-slope, below Santenots, east to southeast aspect
- Alternative name: Vignes Blanches
Soils and the Dual Appellation Quirk
The soils at Les Vignes Blanches combine gravelly white limestone with clay, marl, and silt, a mix that delivers the minerality characteristic of the vineyard's white wines. One of the more unusual features of this climat is its regulatory duality. A portion of Les Vignes Blanches falls within the boundaries covered by Volnay Premier Cru Santenots regulations. This means Pinot Noir planted in that section can legally be labeled as Volnay Premier Cru Santenots, one of Burgundy's most respected red Premier Cru designations. The white wine sections produce Chardonnay under the Meursault Premier Cru designation.
- Soil mix: gravelly white limestone, clay, marl, silt
- White wine section classified as Meursault Premier Cru (Chardonnay)
- Red wine section qualifies as Volnay Premier Cru Santenots (Pinot Noir)
- The vineyard's name derives directly from its pale gravelly limestone soils
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Open Wine Lookup →Producers and Market Presence
Les Vignes Blanches is a small and relatively obscure climat, and most producers who hold parcels choose to incorporate the fruit into their broader Meursault blends rather than releasing a single-vineyard bottling. This practice limits the number of wines that reach the market under the Les Vignes Blanches name. Notable producers with documented holdings or releases from this climat include Domaine Clos de la Chapelle, Christophe Violot-Guillemard, and Domaine Deveney Mars. For students and collectors, finding a single-climat bottling represents a genuine window into how gravelly limestone soils express themselves in Meursault.
- Domaine Clos de la Chapelle: documented producer in this climat
- Christophe Violot-Guillemard: notable producer with parcel holdings
- Domaine Deveney Mars: documented producer in Les Vignes Blanches
- Most fruit is blended into generic Meursault rather than bottled under the climat name
White wines from Les Vignes Blanches display a mineral-driven character shaped by the gravelly limestone soils, with citrus fruit, bright acidity, and a stony, chalk-inflected finish typical of mid-slope Meursault. Red wine from the Volnay-eligible section shows the elegant, perfumed Pinot Noir character associated with Santenots.
- Christophe Violot-Guillemard Meursault Premier Cru Les Vignes Blanches$60-90One of the few producers bottling this climat separately, showcasing its gravelly limestone minerality directly.Find →
- Domaine Clos de la Chapelle Meursault Premier Cru Les Vignes Blanches$65-95Documented holder in the climat, offering a reference-point expression of this rare Meursault Premier Cru.Find →
- Les Vignes Blanches is a Meursault Premier Cru climat, but a portion qualifies under Volnay Premier Cru Santenots regulations for red wine production.
- The name references the gravelly white limestone soils that define the vineyard's character.
- The documented producer parcel is 0.41 hectares; most growers blend the fruit into generic Meursault rather than single-climat bottlings.
- Aspect is east to southeast facing at mid-slope, positioned below the Santenots vineyard.
- This climat illustrates Burgundy's complex boundary rules where a single vineyard can carry two different Premier Cru designations depending on grape variety.