Description
The Wine
Domaine Buisson-Battault is known almost entirely for white wine — the Meursault Vieilles Vignes, the Premier Crus, the Aligoté. The Pommard is the wine that surprises people. Most don’t know they make one.
François Buisson’s maternal family is from Pommard. The fruit for Les Combes comes from a lieu-dit that runs along the upper edge of the village appellation, where the slope begins to steepen. The lieu-dit itself straddles the Premier Cru boundary — the upper portion is classified Premier Cru, the lower portion village. This bottling comes from the upper village section, separated from the classified Premier Cru land by a single vineyard road.
The vines range from 10 to 49 years old. Organically farmed. The wine is aged 12 months in barrel (20% new oak) then six months in tank before bottling. The result is a Pommard that reflects the cooler, more mineral character of this elevated site — less of the weight and density that Pommard’s lower valley-floor vineyards typically produce, more precision and freshness.
Vineyard & Vintage Details
Producer: Domaine Buisson-Battault
Appellation: Pommard AOC
Lieu-dit: Les Combes
Grape: 100% Pinot Noir
Vine age: 10–49 years
Farming: Organic
Vinification: Traditional
Élevage: 12 months in barrel (20% new oak) · 6 months in tank
Vintage: 2021
Tasting Notes
Cherry, cassis, a hint of violet and fresh earth. The palate is precise and focused — the upper slope site and the vintage’s natural freshness give this wine more lift and mineral drive than a typical Pommard. Silky tannins, medium body, clean finish. Drink now through 2028.
Service: 16°C. Duck breast, lamb, mushroom dishes, aged soft cheeses.
2021 Vintage Note
2021 was one of Burgundy’s most challenging growing seasons in recent memory — severe spring frosts dramatically reduced yields across the Côte de Beaune, making 2021 a tiny and heterogeneous vintage. For the wines that came through, the reduced crop load concentrated fruit and the cool, fresh growing conditions produced Pinot Noir of real aromatic precision. For an elevated lieu-dit like Les Combes — a cooler site by nature — the vintage suits the character of the vineyard well. These are wines to drink over the next three to five years rather than cellar for the long term.
About Domain Buisson-Battault
A true insider’s address in Meursault — François Buisson’s organically farmed, five-generation domaine produces some of the village’s most elegant and pure expressions of Chardonnay, balancing classic richness with vibrant acidity and a signature mineral drive.
François Buisson represents the fifth generation of a family that has farmed these vineyards since at least the early 20th century. He joined his father André in 1985, took over the domaine in 1991, and in 2005 moved the estate into the beautifully restored former home of his maternal grandparents — a building with its own remarkable history, having housed a renowned mustard factory from 1870 to 1939. Today, the domaine spans 8.5 hectares of organically farmed vines spread across 14 different appellations, including coveted Premier Cru parcels in Poruzots, Charmes, and Gouttes d’Or.
What sets François apart is his uncompromising pursuit of balance. He has little interest in the heavy, buttery Meursault of the old school, but equally distrusts wines that are lean and over-extracted for freshness. Instead, his wines live in the most rewarding middle ground: pure, mineral, and chiseled, yet with enough ripe stone fruit and creamy texture to satisfy anyone who loves white Burgundy. His winemaking reinforces this philosophy — 12 months in oak barrels (only 20% new) followed by at least six months in tank on the fine lees, with no bâtonnage. The result is wines that feel simultaneously vibrant and rich, with the kind of precision that comes only from decades of working the same land. For the wine lover looking for a serious, age-worthy Meursault that rewards patience as much as it rewards opening tonight, Buisson-Battault is an essential discovery.
