The one word that comes to mind when I taste the wines of Jean-Philippe Fichet is transparency. HIs Meursaults are among the purest expressions of Chardonnay in all of Burgundy and have few rivals in terms of sheer quality. This small, immaculately kept domaine was started in the early 80's by Jean-Philippe with vineyards almost entirely in Meursault though no premier cru sites among them. No matter since his lieux-dit bottlings, often referred to as the deuxièmes crus of Meursault, generally outclass all but the very top few Perrières and Charmes of some pretty big names here. This overachievement can be attributed to meticulous farming, very low yields starting with severe winter pruning and careful attention to every step in the wine making process. Fichet uses little new oak, both 225 barriques and 500 liter demi muids, and the elevage is unusually lengthy here with most wines spending 18 months in barrel which he feels allows them to develop the most complexity. Batonnage is kept to a minimum which helps keep the wines detailed and pure.