Tasted in Vosne-Romanée with María Ignacia Navarro González (Nacha) and then a few words with Jean-Nicholas at the end, 31 August 2021.
Domaine Méo-Camuzet
11, rue des Grands Crus
21700 Vosne-Romanée
Tel: +33 3 80 61 55 55
www.meo-camuzet.com
More reports for Domaine Méo-Camuzet
Nacha and Jean-Nicola on 2021:
“We had the frost and then came a summer that wasn’t very warm – lots of rain. Plenty of treatments were needed in the vine this year. From the frost, we lost 50% of our contracted Corton-Charlemagne but it looks like 90% losses in our Clos St.Philibert. We could flip to either side at the moment; less ripe, lots of rot or we could have a fine last 10 days with 13.5% and quite clean grapes.”
Nacha and Jean-Nicolas on 2020:
“A year with a lot of emotions – like many I suppose. The first confinement went quite well, the main problem was we had to wait to bottle as the bottle factory closed. 2020 is an early vintage, of course, and it seems we have to harvest faster these days, some wines were 14° but others, perhaps a little blocked, stayed at 12-12.5°. Some of our vines, like Chaumes – and thats two hectares – are always rather early ripening these days – for that we have to be quick. 23-24 August is the earliest harvest start-date here – and in terms of the volume it wasn’t a very big vintage – we will be racking the wines after this year’s harvest though normally it’s done before. So much less volume of grapes versus 2018 and 2019. There’s plenty of acidity in this vintage and that made the wines hard to taste earlier in the year but now they are showing very well. I think we have such an interesting, possibly great vintage here in 2020. It has happened before but to this level is rare – I see more in these wines than in either 2005 or 2015…”
The wines…
Just a quick tour of some wines at this early stage in their development – but what wines. It’s the combinations of elegant sophistication yet coupled to balanced depth and concentration that so impresses.
2020 Nuits St.Georges
Some domaine vines here mixed with purchases.
Dark fruited here but with clarity to that fruit. Ooh – super acidity – freshness, energy, faint bitters and some modest tannin filling out the palate in the finish. That’s a really excellent start.
2020 Chambolle-Musigny
This nose is equally dark fruited but is more direct, vibrant and more mineral in style. A wide, fresh attack, so mouth-watering. This is a 1996 style of wine, no doubt. The depth of flavour in the finish is only very slightly grained. Really super – but the Nuits is the more accommodating of the two today!
Much more width of aroma here – energy, complexity, floral and spiced – wow! Again super – such dimensions of flavour – much more structural – great flavour. Here’s a wine that needs some patience, but what a great wine – bravo!
2020 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Feuselottes
A much more airy nose – lovely and open – easy, elegant and super attractive. Vibrant again – lovely energy, a little extra tannin grain. Broad finishing – there’s a lovely finishing width here – persistent, still some modest oak-bitters but that’s really excellent.
2020 Corton-Perrières
Old vines.
Direct, pure, accented with sweetness and florals – that’s a super nose. Big in the mouth, tannic, vibrant – but layered too. Such a structured chalky finish but always super-energetic. Brash, impressive – super young. Really super wine.
2020 Echézeaux
This nose offers a clarion-call of purity – some extra directness but oh-so-smooth, slowly adding florals but also dried fruit. Such an elegant depth of structure with a super-small grain to the tannin. Such beautifully tailored structure versus the more sauvage structure of the Corton-Perrières. A very different style of finish too – less impact but more haunting. Beautiful wine…
Here the aromas are smaller, less broad and structural, than the Chaumes but with a super level of elegance – beautiful. Ooh – this is very wide – showing a little structure. A little extra mix of the floral and mineral in the finish. A wine to remember – bravo!