When Corton Grand Cru Les Maréchaudes was awarded Wine of the Year France at the 2025 London Wine Competition, it marked more than a peak in critical acclaim—it was a moment of recognition for a philosophy rooted in patience, place, and purpose. 

For Stéphane Follin-Arbelet, CEO of Domaine du Château de Meursault, the accolade is the result of a long, quiet evolution: one that includes a deep commitment to biodiversity, a profound respect for Burgundy’s Climats, and the collaborative effort of a team who works as carefully in the vineyard as they do in the cellar. In this conversation, Follin-Arbelet reflects on what this moment means for the domaine, how he sees the wine world shifting, and why sustainability and tradition are not at odds, but essential partners in the story of great wine.

Image: Left, CEO Stéphane Follin-Arbelet, and Right, Winemaker Emmanuel Escutenaire  at Domaine du Château de Meursault.

Congratulations on being named “Wine of the Year France” at the 2025 London Wine Competition for your Corton Grand Cru Les Maréchaudes. What does this recognition mean for you and your team, and how do you intend to leverage this accolade in your international marketing efforts?

We are very proud of this recognition, which is a real accomplishment of all the hard work of our team to make a great wine conducted in organic viticulture. Many efforts have been made by all the teams from the viticulture to the cellar to reach the best quality possible. Importance is attached to every wine produced, but we are obviously really proud to obtain such incredible recognition for one of our Grand Crus! 

Image: “Wine of the Year France” at the 2025 London Wine Competition - Corton Grand Cru Les Maréchaudes.

The Corton Grand Cru Les Maréchaudes is a standout wine in your portfolio. Could you share what makes this particular wine so expressive of its terroir and a true ambassador of the Pinot Noir grape in Burgundy?

This Grand Cru is a great wine from a small village of 125 inhabitants. Small is beautiful! Corton Grand Cru reflects perfectly the values of Burgundy: located on a nice hill, composed of small Climats that all have their own specificities. It is also the only Red Grand Cru from Côte de Beaune!

Château de Meursault has a rich heritage and a striking estate—and it’s also known for its commitment to sustainability. Could you tell us more about the environmental and viticultural practices you’ve adopted in recent years and how they shape your wines?

Faced with the immense challenge of global warming, everything is being done to improve biodiversity, promote living soils, and help reduce the greenhouse effect. Thanks to the practice of agroecology and eco-responsible actions, we seek to transmit an exceptional heritage in perfect condition. We ensure the balance and preservation of ecosystems and their biotope to be as close as possible to our terroirs. To do this, we have implemented virtuous practices such as the crushing of vine shoots and the establishment of biodiversity corridors. Thanks to the plants that we sow between the rows of vines, we improve the balance of the soils, which shelter and nourish abundant life. This symbiotic relationship of roots, fungi, and bacteria contributes to a living soil. The protection and proper development of our vines also involves the practice of Poussard pruning, which is more respectful of sap flows. Thanks to the trellising of the vines, the vegetation develops harmoniously, and the well-ventilated clusters are less prone to disease. Our team shares these values and they are even more involved in every step, to ensure the respect of the terroir and the identity of each wine.

Image: Marechaudes Vineyard, Burgundy, France.

The UK is a key wine market and particularly attentive to Burgundy. Where is your wine currently available in the UK—are you working with specific importers, retail chains, or on-trade partners—and how are you supporting them in moving stock and building consumer awareness?

We started working with Justerini & Brooks and Wine Society 13 years ago. We are loyal and we trust the long-term partnership. We obviously organize meetings and tastings every year and don’t hesitate to share key information that they could use on the UK market to promote our wines.

How do you define your target market globally? Are you seeing shifts in the types of consumers engaging with your wines—perhaps a younger demographic, or those newly discovering Burgundy?

Thanks to the exceptional atmosphere of Château de Meursault to discover the heritage and wines from Côte de Beaune, and a passionate team, our consumers are mainly great Burgundy wine lovers who we welcome at the Estate. We keep on adapting ourselves to all the wine lovers, regardless of their age, with wine expériences to make them discover the great richness of our wines.

Image: The cellars of Château de Meursault; Source: Château de Meursault.

Beyond the UK, which international markets are strategic priorities for Château de Meursault in the coming years? Are you planning new market entries or deeper expansion in regions like North America or Asia?

We are present in all the mature Burgundy wine markets, but we are also open to smaller markets with whom we are pleased to share our passion for Burgundy and, of course, our wines.

What does your marketing approach look like both domestically and abroad—are there specific campaigns, events, or partnerships you’re particularly excited about in 2025?

We are particularly excited this year, as we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the subscription of The Climats, vineyards of Burgundy, on UNESCO’s World Heritage List event more so as we are the Founder Sponsor.

Burgundy continues to evolve—climatically, economically, and stylistically. How does Château de Meursault balance respect for tradition with the need to innovate and remain competitive on the global stage?

We keep on adapting our tastings to the evolution of the palates, as well as modernizing our tasting tools. Take, as an example, the Château itself and its new « Salons », freshly renovated. But tradition is still very important, and you can feel it with the Château, and its 1000 years of history. We enjoy a long and powerful heritage with the Chateau situation, and we try to be a real actor of the change with an eco-friendly and sustainable vision.

Image: The Château’s salon.

Lastly, for wine lovers who may not yet have had the pleasure of visiting your estate—what would you like them to understand about Château de Meursault, beyond what’s in the glass?

Wine is a beverage that has spanned the ages and adapted to the tastes of each era. Our terroirs are timeless, and it's the aging process that enables us to adapt to today's palates. We like to share everything about Burgundy's Climats. For the information, we also organize daily visits and tastings at the Chateau. All of our team will be more than happy to welcome you to make you discover more about the region and obviously taste our wines!

Conclusion:

There’s a quiet confidence in the way Stéphane Follin-Arbelet speaks about Château de Meursault—a steadiness shaped by heritage, but also by a clear sense of responsibility to both the land and the future. The award-winning Corton Grand Cru Les Maréchaudes may have drawn international attention this year, but the values behind it are anything but fleeting. As Burgundy continues to face new pressures—from climate, from the market, and from changing consumer expectations—Follin-Arbelet and his team are choosing to respond not with noise, but with care. Theirs is a vision of continuity that feels, above all, human: rooted in the soil, shared at the table, and built to last.

In conversation with Malvika Patel, Editor and VP, Beverage Trade Network

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