Meursault () is a commune in the

Côte-d'Or Côte-d'Or (; literally, "Golden Slope") is a département in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of Northeastern France. In 2019, it had a population of 534,124.department and region of

Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Bourgogne-Franche-Comté (; , sometimes abbreviated BFC; Arpitan: ''Borgogne-Franche-Comtât'') is a region in Eastern France created by the 2014 territorial reform of French regions, from a merger of Burgundy and Franche-Comté. The new region ...

in eastern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Etymology

The oldest attested form of the toponym Meursault dates from 1094, as ''Murassalt'' and ''Mussalt'', in a charter by the Cluny Abbey. However, these forms may have been a scribal error, given that in the attested forms of the toponym, the letter a does not appear in the second syllable of the toponym. The same letter does not reappear until the 13th century, which suggests that the charters of the abbey were recopied during that era. Later on, the toponym has been attested in various forms, such as ''Muresaldum'' (1119), ''Muressalt'' (1148), ''Muressaut'' (1155), ''Murissalt'' (1168), ''Muresauth'' (1168), ''Meuressault'' (1549), ''Murseau'' (1686), and finally ''Meursault'' (1713). Lebel suggests that ''Muressalt'' (1148) or ''Murissalt'' (1168) may have phonetically evolved from *''mureis salt'', which would have been eventually derived from *''muriscu saltu'', the latter being composed of the Latin word muru “wall” with a Germanic suffix -''isc'' (possibly from Proto-West Germanic -''isk''), and ''saltu'', a Latin word meaning “forest” (it was used as frequently as its synonym silva, but went on to be replaced by the Germanic word ''bosk'' which eventually became French ''bois''). The existence of a forest in Meursault could be corroborated by the name of the river that passes the town: Le Ruisseau des Clous, which appeared as ''Agine'' in medieval texts (since 1155). Lebel gives the reconstruction of this name as *''Hagina'', a derivation from ''haga'' “enclosed forest” followed by a Germanic suffix -''ina'' (possibly from Proto-Germanic -*''īnaz''). The Franks called enclosed forests ''haga'' or *''hagja'', which remains in the Burgundian language as ''age'', and is also related to French ''haie'' and English ''hedge''. An attempt to suggest the etymology of the toponym Meursault was first done by Antoine Gandelot (1714-1785), in his work ''Histoire de la ville de Beaune et de ses antiquités''. The author states that the name Meursault is derived from Latin ''Murissaltus'', and suggests that it means "the forest of the rat" without giving further explanations. Many travel guides and wine buying guides have reused this etymology, and some even suggest that it could mean “the falls of the rat”, “the rat” supposedly being the name of a forest that once covered Meursault. This can be explained due to the word ''muris'' being a homonym, as it can either be the genitive singular of ᴍūs “rat” or the dative/ablative plural of ᴍūʀᴜs “wall”. The same could be said for the Latin word ''saltus'', as it can either mean “leap/jump/fall” or “forest”. Furthermore, Berthoud and Matruchot suggested ''minor saltus'', but the latter is less convincing since it could have not possibly evolved phonetically to become the current toponym.

Geography and viticulture

Meursault is an

Appellation d'origine contrôlée An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication primarily used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown, although other types of food often have appellations as well. Restrictions other than geographical bo ...

(AOC) in the

Côte de Beaune The Côte de Beaune area is the southern part of the Côte d'Or, the limestone ridge that is home to the great names of Burgundy wine. The Côte de Beaune starts between Nuits-Saint-Georges and Beaune, and extends southwards for about 25 km ...

subregion of the

Burgundy wine Burgundy wine ( or ') is made in the Burgundy region of eastern France, in the valleys and slopes west of the Saône, a tributary of the Rhône. The most famous wines produced here, and those commonly referred to as "Burgundies," are dry red win ...

region. It lies along the foot of the

Côte-d'Or Côte-d'Or (; literally, "Golden Slope") is a département in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of Northeastern France. In 2019, it had a population of 534,124.escarpment An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that forms as a result of faulting or erosion and separates two relatively level areas having different elevations. The terms ''scarp'' and ''scarp face'' are often used interchangeably with ''esca ...

, around

Beaune Beaune () is the wine capital of Burgundy in the Côte d'Or department in eastern France. It is located between Lyon and Dijon. Beaune is one of the key wine centers in France, and the center of Burgundy wine production and business. The annua ...

and with the broad

Saône The Saône ( , ; frp, Sona; lat, Arar) is a river in eastern France. It is a right tributary of the Rhône, rising at Vioménil in the Vosges department and joining the Rhône in Lyon, at the southern end of the Presqu'île. The name d ...

valley plain to its east. Meursault produces mainly white wines from

Chardonnay Chardonnay (, , ) is a green-skinned grape variety used in the production of white wine. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand. For new ...

grapes, primarily in a style with a clear oak influence, which have led to descriptions such as "buttery" to be applied to powerful examples of Meursault wines. Within the Meursault AOC there are some '' Premier Cru'' vineyards, but no '' Grand Cru''. This has however not stopped the wines of Meursault from competing with the white burgundies from the villages Chassagne-Montrachet and Puligny-Montrachet, where several ''Grands Crus'' are situated. The town of Meursault is home to the international wine event

La Paulée de Meursault La Paulée de Meursault is a lunch celebrating the end of the grape harvest in Burgundy, France.Steinberger, Mike, ''Slate.com'' (December 15, 2006)Days of Wine...and More Wine/ref> Originally, the celebration included only winemakers, cellar wor ...

History

Meursault is situated on a prehistoric settlement. Mont Mélian is a Gallo-Roman camp. The old Roman Fort remains are still visible on the hill (known and signposted as "La Montagne") above the village. The name of Meursault derives from ''muris saltus'', the "mouse-leap" stream of the Ruisseau des Cloux, so named by the Roman soldiers. Wilson, James E. (1998): '' Terroir, The Role of Geology, Climate, And Culture in the Making of the French Wines'' University of California Press. The ''hôpital de Meursault'' is an old hospital, dating from the twelfth century, that was originally used to treat leprosy. Meursault was used in the film '' La Grande Vadrouille''. The town hall, very recognisable with its burgundy-coloured roof, was depicted as the local

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...

headquarters.

Administration

Population

References

External links

Cartographical details

Meursault Tourist Office

Commune de Meursault DICRIM: Document d'Information Communal sur les Risques Majeurs
{{authority control Communes of Côte-d'Or