Meursault | |
|---|---|
 The town hall in Meursault | |
.svg) Coat of arms | |
 Location of Meursault | |
  Meursault  Meursault | |
| Coordinates:46°58′44″N4°46′16″E / 46.9789°N 4.7711°E /46.9789; 4.7711 | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Bourgogne-Franche-Comté |
| Department | Côte-d'Or |
| Arrondissement | Beaune |
| Canton | Ladoix-Serrigny |
| Intercommunality | CA Beaune Côte et Sud |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2020–2026) | Denis Thomas[1] |
Area 1 | 16.22 km2 (6.26 sq mi) |
| Population (2022)[2] | 1,376 |
| • Density | 84.83/km2 (219.7/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 21412 /21190 |
| Elevation | 199–458 m (653–1,503 ft) (avg. 243 m or 797 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Meursault (French pronunciation:[mœʁso]) is acommune in theCôte-d'Ordepartment and region ofBourgogne-Franche-Comté in easternFrance.
The oldest attested form of the toponym Meursault dates from 1094, asMurassalt andMussalt, in a charter by the Cluny Abbey. However, these forms may have been a scribal error,[3] 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 asMuresaldum[4] (1119),Muressalt (1148),Muressaut (1155),Murissalt (1168),Muresauth (1168),Meuressault (1549),Murseau (1686), and finallyMeursault (1713).
Lebel suggests thatMuressalt (1148) orMurissalt (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[5] (possibly from Proto-West Germanic -isk), andsaltu, a Latin word meaning “forest” (it was used as frequently as its synonym silva, but went on to be replaced by the Germanic wordbosk which eventually became Frenchbois).
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 asAgine in medieval texts (since 1155). Lebel gives the reconstruction of this name as *Hagina, a derivation fromhaga “enclosed forest” followed by a Germanic suffix -ina (possibly from Proto-Germanic -*īnaz). The Franks called enclosed forestshaga or *hagja, which remains in the Burgundian language asage, and is also related to Frenchhaie and Englishhedge.
An attempt to suggest the etymology of the toponym Meursault was first done by Antoine Gandelot (1714-1785), in his workHistoire de la ville de Beaune et de ses antiquités.[6] The author states that the name Meursault is derived from LatinMurissaltus, and suggests that it means "the forest of the rat" without giving further explanations. Many travel guides[7] 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 wordmuris[8] 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 wordsaltus, as it can either mean “leap/jump/fall” or “forest”.
Furthermore, Berthoud and Matruchot suggestedminor saltus,[9] but has less support among researchers.
Meursault is anAppellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) in theCôte de Beaune subregion of theBurgundy wine region. It lies along the foot of theCôte-d'Orescarpment, aroundBeaune and with the broadSaône valley plain to its east. Meursault produces mainly white wines fromChardonnay grapes, primarily in a style with a clearoak influence, which have led to descriptions such as "buttery" to be applied to powerful examples of Meursault wines. Within the Meursault AOC there are somePremier Cru vineyards, but noGrand Cru. This has however not stopped the wines of Meursault from competing with the white burgundies from the villagesChassagne-Montrachet andPuligny-Montrachet, where severalGrands Crus are situated. The town of Meursault is home to the international wine eventLa Paulée de Meursault.
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 frommuris saltus, the "mouse-leap" stream of the Ruisseau des Cloux, so named by the Roman soldiers.[10]
Thehôpital de Meursault is an old hospital, dating from the twelfth century, that was originally used to treat leprosy.
Meursault was used in the filmLa Grande Vadrouille. The town hall, very recognisable with its burgundy-coloured roof, was depicted as the localWehrmacht headquarters.
| Term | Name | Party | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000-2020 | Jean-Claude Monnier | ||
| 2020–2026 | Denis Thomas |
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1962 | 1,793 | — |
| 1968 | 1,831 | +2.1% |
| 1975 | 1,733 | −5.4% |
| 1982 | 1,645 | −5.1% |
| 1990 | 1,538 | −6.5% |
| 1999 | 1,598 | +3.9% |
| 2008 | 1,566 | −2.0% |
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| National | |
