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)
<< Home