Domaine Arnaud Ente

Domaine Arnaud Ente is one of the leading wine estates in Meursault, and in all of Burgundy. Previously known for their opulent style, Ente's wines now combine richness with balanced acidity and minerality. The Ente family originally hail from Armentières, near Lille in northern France and on the border with Belgium. Arnaud Ente's father, however, married into a Puligny-Montrachet family.

Arnaud married Marie-Odile Thévenot in 1991 and the pair established what would become Domaine Arnaud Ente in Meursault the following year. In the 1990s, Ente gained a reputation for opulent wines, picking Chardonnay grapes at maximum ripeness. The estate dialled this back at around the turn of the century and the wines consequently show more acidity and freshness than initial offerings.

Production is tiny, and comes from just four hectares (10 acres) of vines, which are divided across 10 parcels. Ente's biggest holdings are in the village-level Meursault En L'Ormeau vineyard. This parcel is split into three based on the age of the vines, and grapes from the vineyard are used to make the generic Meursault, the Clos des Ambres, and the La Sève du Clos cuvées. Arnaud Ente also makes a few premier cru wines from vineyards in Mersault (the domaine has 0.2 hectares/0.5 acres in Les Gouttes d'Or) and Puligny-Montrachet, where Ente farms another 0.2 hectares of the Premier Cru Les Referts. The estate's red wine portfolio includes the Volnay Premier Cru Les Santenots, and Bourgogne Grand Ordinaire made from 100 percent Gamay, from vines planted in 1938.

The top wines are fermented and spend their first year in older oak barrels, then are moved to tanks for around six months before bottling without fining or filtration. Aligoté, Bourgogne Blanc and some regular Meursault wines are vinified in larger 600-liter barrels.