Domaine MEO-CAMUZET -- 2013s from Cask

Domaine MEO-CAMUZET/MEO-CAMUZET Soeur et Frère* (Vosne-Romanée)

2013s  from Cask

Jean-Nicolas Méo said that he started harvesting about October 2 or 3, a little bit earlier than he ideally would have liked, but it was necessary because of the spreading rot. Obviously, triage was necessary. Chaptalization was on the order of 1º. The resulting crop was very low, the lowest of the period 2010-2013, all of which were small crops (and for Méo, 2014 is lower than for many other Côte de Nuits estates, as the relatively small amount of hail on the Côte de Nuits was more damaging here than for most).

Jean-Nicolas noted that the wines were extremely slow to develop; some barrels were only 60-80% though malolactic fermentation when I visited on November 12. As a result, for some wines I did not taste the final blend.

As you can see, the vintage is of high quality across the board here.

2013 Bourgogne-Hautes Côtes de Nuits   Clos Saint-Philibert

As usual, we start with the lone white wine here. Only part of the final blend was available for tasting. The wine was clear and pure with a little bit of fat. (84-87)

2013 Bourgogne    Pinot Noir

This wine, too, was not the entire blend, but Jean-Nicolas said that it was fairly representative. It shows fresh red fruit aromas. The mouth shows dark and red fruits, good minerality, and lightness on the palate. (86-89)

2013 Marsannay*

This was even closer to the final wine than the Bourgogne. The wine is medium-weight with dark fruits, salinity, some spice, smoothness, but also some structure. (86-90)

2013 Fixin*

The Fixin is medium-weight with spicy dark fruit, although it is not quite as dense as the previous two wines. (86-89)

2013 Fixin 1er – Clos du Chapître*

This wine shows spice and red fruit, but also with a little dark fruit. It has some wildness and also good finesse. (88-92)

2013 Vosne-Romanée

The village Vosne has spiced round fruit and is round and sensual. (88-92)

2013 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru – Les Chaumes

The estate has two different parcels in Chaumes. Beginning in 2012, the fruit from both was vinified together. Jean-Nicolas finds that doing so gives more acidity from the beginning and helps with the extraction. The wine has spiced red and dark fruits in a medium-full body that is racy and lively. (90-93)

2013 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru – Aux Murgers

This wine shows good density to the dark fruit. It is less spicy than the previous Vosnes and shows some tannins. An impressive showing. (91-94)

2013 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru – Aux Boudots

Until recently, Méo-Camuzet continued to follow the practices of Henri Jayer and systematically avoided whole clusters. That policy has changed some the last few years, and this Boudots was made with a bout 10-15% whole clusters. The nose shows spicy red and dark fruits. The mouth is spicy with good density and also some finesse – a fine and typical result from this last Nuits vineyard before one crosses into Vosne. (91-95)

2013 Clos-de-Vougeot

The nose features black raspberry aromas and flavors typical of Clos-Vougeot. The wine shows good density and also the finesse that the vintage brings to many Clos-Vougeots. Tannins are round here, so the wine should be approachable relatively young. (92-95)

2013 Corton  Clos Rognet

The nose here is floral. There’s quite a bit of finesse on the palate here with lightness in the mouth and good penetration for the dark, mineral fruit. (92-96)

2013 Echézeaux

The Echézeaux has been increasingly impressive in recent vintages. Jean-Nicolas noted that when he took over the property in 1997, some vines were missing. The property had not been much fertilized in the 1960s and 1970s, and so the soils were more acidic than in much of Burgundy. The missing vines were replaced with clone selections that ripe early, and those replacement vines have now attained age ten years and more. The wine is dark and mineral and even shows some violets. It is medium-full, dense, and smooth. (91-95)

2013 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru – Aux Brûlées

The vineyard here is on the southern portion of Brûlées, below Richebourg and with an easterly exposition. The current vineyard was planted in the 1930s, and about 60% of those vines remain; about another 30% are from the 1960s, and the remaining 10-12% from 2000. The 2013 is dark, intense, and powerful with freshness and some minerality. One is very close to Richebourg in style as well as location with this beautiful wine. (93-97)

2013 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru – Au Cros Parantoux

The Cros Parantoux lies just above Richebourg. The malolactic fermentation here finished after the 2014 harvest, and so not very long before I tasted it. About 10% whole clusters in this wine. The wine is intense, dense, pure, lively, and still primary in its dark fruit. It is quite focused, though, and steely with no voluptuousness for the moment. It feels medium-light on the palate. Another in a long string of successes from this great vineyard. (94-97)

2013 Richebourg

The spicy nose here is nothing short of explosive. The mouth features spicy plum fruit that is exotic and lively. This is a classic expression of Richebourg. (94-98)

Because Méo-Camuzet now has so many wines, we skipped a few, and I asked to see those from two vineyards that I particularly like:

2013 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru – Les Cras*

This was only from new casks, as the rest had not yet finished malolactic fermentation. The wine is smooth with lightness on the palate and also firmness. It is lively and tightly-wound and shows good energy. (90-94)

2013 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru – Les Perrières*

The nose is stony and primary. The mouth is tight, nervy, and stony. This is a very good and true example of Perrières. (90-94)