Méo-Camuzet
About Domaine Méo-Camuzet
Domaine Méo-Camuzet is one of Burgundy’s big names. Until 1988 most of the holdings were leased out. Now Jean-Nicolas Méo and Christian Faurois are making some of Cote d’Or’s best wine. Using organic farming on their great plots; they boast four Grand Cru and ten Premier Cru sites in Nuits St George and Vosne-Romanée.
Today, the fortunes of this magical Domaine and its standing as a winemaking entity could not be further removed from this period which, quite shockingly, actually saw a sizable share of its fruit sold to négociants! The proud master of over 2.5 hectares of Grands Crus and 8 of 1er, some of the most hallowed terroir in Nuits-St-Georges and Vosne-Romanée is owned and its fruit vinified by Méo-Camuzet.
Prior to the arrival of current stewards Jean-Nicholas Méo and Christian Faurois, two of the most monumental Burgundian personalities were fundamental in the history of Méo-Camuzet. The first being its namesake Etienne Camuzet, an important political figure in the early 20th century who, aside from purchasing the bulk of what we know as Domaine Méo-Camuzet holdings today including Château de Clos de Vougeot (later gifted to the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin), made numerous important decisions throughout the region with regards to what parcels could be included in Grand Cru classification.
The second, and quite possibly the single greatest Burgundian winemaker of the 20th century, was Henri Jayer. Specifically invited by the owners of Domaine Méo-Camuzet to tend to their vines since the 1940s due to his already formidable reputation, the masterful vigneron remained a sharecropper of the Domaine’s holdings until 1988 when it moved to vinify its plots itself. Following the transformation of Domaine Méo-Camuzet into an almighty winemaking presence in its own right, Jayer remained a consultant and was utterly instrumental in its ascension to the very pinnacle of Burgundian fine wine.
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Vinous (93-96)
Saturated bright, deep red. Sappy black cherry, wild herbs, tea leaf and exotic spices on the complex but subdued nose. Broad, rich, deep and classically dry, with a saline character contributing to the impression of density and extract. Very complete but backward Richebourg with a lovely rising aftertaste featuring well-buffered, ripe tannins.HK$19,975.00 -
Vinous (94-97)
Saturated, deep red-ruby. Blackberry and cassis aromas are complicated by coffee and a subtle floral character, with some sweet oak adding another dimension. Densely packed and sappy, with an urgent quality and superb lift to the crushed dark berry fruit. A wonderfully saline, soil-driven wine with outstanding inner-mouth tension. The extremely long, slowly mounting finishes features a serious tannic backbone and outstanding vibrancy. Built for a long evolution in bottle.HK$22,580.00 -
Burghound (95-98)
(Don't Miss!) Here too there is enough reduction present to push the underlying fruit to the background. Otherwise there is breathtakingly good concentration to the broad-shouldered, succulent and lavishly rich flavors that also possess an almost haunting inner mouth perfume of spice and floral elements. There is superb power and buckets of dry extract and despite the imposing size and weight this remains refined and immaculately well-balanced on the massively long finale. I was knocked out by the potential this demonstrated but note well that it is a wine to buy and forget as this is going to need 20 to 30 years to reach its full apogee.HK$28,805.00 -
Vinous (95-97)
Bright, dark red-ruby. Heady aromas of black fruits, tart cherry stomp, licorice and violet. Wonderfully plush and fine-grained but medicinal and backward, with its flavors of black fruits, flowers and spices accented by pungent minerality. Very densely packed but even more imploded than the Cros Parantoux and more difficult to taste today. A wine with outstanding intensity and focus, as well as the medicinal reserve for a long evolution in the cellar. Firm tannins are perfectly buffered by strong material.HK$24,880.00 -
Vinous (95-97)
The 2018 Richebourg Grand Cru has a much more imposing bouquet compared to the Cros Parantoux, the intense blackberry, bilberry, crushed stone and clove scents gently unfurling in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins and enormous depth, yet gentle in terms of grip. There is a sense of symmetry on the finish here, along with superb length, yet this will clearly require more bottle age than the Cros Parantoux.HK$60,470.00 -
Vinous (95-97)
The 2018 Richebourg Grand Cru has a much more imposing bouquet compared to the Cros Parantoux, the intense blackberry, bilberry, crushed stone and clove scents gently unfurling in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins and enormous depth, yet gentle in terms of grip. There is a sense of symmetry on the finish here, along with superb length, yet this will clearly require more bottle age than the Cros Parantoux.HK$23,805.00 -
HK$41,175.00
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Wine Spectator (95)
A powerhouse of a wine. Combines a modern style (some toasted new oak) with pedigreed Burgundian terroir to near perfection. Thick but classy, this seductive Pinot bursts with pure and focused black and red berry character. Deep, complex yet not complicated--a sheer joy of Pinot expression. Drink now through 2010. 112 cases made. -PMHK$45,455.00 -
Vinous (91-93)
Good deep red. Very ripe nose dominated by cherry and sweet oak. Broad, ripe and oaky, with lovely restraint to its sweetness. Fruit-driven red raspberry and cherry flavors framed and lifted by new oak. A big wine with a substantial tannic structure. But the tannins are quite fine.HK$75,650.00 -
Vinous (91-93)
Good deep red. Very ripe nose dominated by cherry and sweet oak. Broad, ripe and oaky, with lovely restraint to its sweetness. Fruit-driven red raspberry and cherry flavors framed and lifted by new oak. A big wine with a substantial tannic structure. But the tannins are quite fine.HK$100,800.00 -
Vinous (92-95)
Good full medium ruby. More exotic on the nose than the Brulees, showing an aroma of blackberry liqueur. Large-scaled and fat but youthfully unevolved, with inky depths to its brooding, chocolatey flavor. A wine of compelling richness but not yet showing the personality of the Brulees. Broad, slow-mounting finish reveals surprisingly strong acidity (the pH here is a low-for-the-cellar 3.35). This is likely to require at least a decade of bottle aging.HK$28,775.00 -
Wine Advocate (93)
At age 11, the 2006 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Cros Parantoux is beginning to show some evolution, offering up a complex and quite ripe nose of sweet red plum, grilled squab, candied peel and spice. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, deep and concentrated, structured around a bright vertical line of acidity that lends superb energy and definition.HK$263,545.00 -
Vinous (91-94)
Good bright, deep red. Reserved aromas of black raspberry, licorice and minerals. Intensely flavored and firm-in fact quite backward in the mouth, with little easy sweetness. Plenty of structural support to the pure black cherry and mineral flavors. Quite refined, and long on the aftertaste. This tastes like it's from another vintage. Meo noted that he picked these vines late. Lots of potential here.HK$255,250.00 -
Vinous (91-94)
Bright, deep red. Medicinal hints of black cherry, raspberry, licorice and coffee. Juicy but imploded on entry, then tight in the middle and folded in on itself. Finishes very long and aromatic, but with a firm spine of tannins and acids dominating today. Meo found this seductive at the beginning but notes that the racking eight days before my visit is currently suppressing the texture of a number of his top bottlings. The yield here was just 20 hectoliters per hectare in 2008, added Meo, and the Brulees even lower than that.HK$268,800.00 -
Vinous (94-97)
Good dark red with ruby highlights. Wonderfully high-pitched aromas of blueberry, blood orange, flowers, spices, mint and crushed stone. Powerfully mineral-driven wine, with outstanding energy and verve for the year. Stains the palate on the vibrant, weightless, extremely long aftertaste. Very classy wine, on a par with the best grand crus of this vintage.HK$22,860.00 -
Vinous (94-97)
Good dark red with ruby highlights. Wonderfully high-pitched aromas of blueberry, blood orange, flowers, spices, mint and crushed stone. Powerfully mineral-driven wine, with outstanding energy and verve for the year. Stains the palate on the vibrant, weightless, extremely long aftertaste. Very classy wine, on a par with the best grand crus of this vintage.HK$296,075.00 -
Vinous (94-96)
Bright, dark red. Wonderfully complex nose offers raspberry, minerals, violet, mocha, smoke and sexy oak spices. Like liquid silk on entry, then strongly mineral in the middle, with obvious acidity that will require time to knit with the wine's fruit. Today the Brulees is sweeter. But this youthfully imploded, tannic 2008 should be great.HK$162,750.00 -
Vinous (92-95)
Good bright red. Very locked up on the nose, hinting at red cherry, black raspberry, stone and spicy oak. Dense but very tight, showing little today in the way of fruit. Most impressive on the explosive, rising, classically dry finish, which displays pungent minerality. Meo noted that this wine was open and charming ten days ago; now it's more typical.HK$19,225.00 -
Vinous (92-95)
Good bright red. Very locked up on the nose, hinting at red cherry, black raspberry, stone and spicy oak. Dense but very tight, showing little today in the way of fruit. Most impressive on the explosive, rising, classically dry finish, which displays pungent minerality. Meo noted that this wine was open and charming ten days ago; now it's more typical.HK$69,485.00 -
Vinous (95-97)
Meo's 2012 Vosne-Romanée Cros Parantoux floats above the palate with lifted, beautiful precision. Intensity, structure and finesse all come together in a wine endowed with dazzling precision and nuance. Crushed rocks, mint and spices add dimensions of complexity to the dark red and black fruit. Today, the Cros Parantoux is firing on all cylinders. What a striking wine this is.HK$20,510.00 -
Wine Advocate (94-96)
The 2013 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Cros Parantoux has a really quite alluring, complex bouquet with broody dark cherry, blackberry leaf and cold wet stone aromas that are both detailed and intense. The palate is medium-bodied with supple, razor-sharp tannins that form a lattice around a core of red fruit. There is a pastille-like purity and an electrifying finish, whose current feels long in the mouth. This is very classy: a great Cros Parantoux, terroir shrugging off what the season threw in its way.HK$17,920.00 -
Wine Advocate (94-96)
The 2014 Vosne Romanée 1er Cru Cros Parantoux has a really quite wondrous nose that really shows its class. Beautifully defined, very pure, very intense dark berry fruit with a seam of mineralité underneath. The palate is medium-bodied with filigree tannin, a fine seam of acidity, great depth and intensity on the finish that lingers long in the mouth. This is a classy Cros Parantoux, maybe the standout from the domaine this year.HK$21,030.00 -
Wine Advocate (94-96)
The 2014 Vosne Romanée 1er Cru Cros Parantoux has a really quite wondrous nose that really shows its class. Beautifully defined, very pure, very intense dark berry fruit with a seam of mineralité underneath. The palate is medium-bodied with filigree tannin, a fine seam of acidity, great depth and intensity on the finish that lingers long in the mouth. This is a classy Cros Parantoux, maybe the standout from the domaine this year.HK$39,470.00 -
Vinous (95-97)
(alcohol close to 14%): Bright ruby-red. Very pure aromas of black raspberry, licorice, bitter chocolate and pungent crushed-stone minerality. Boasts alluring sweetness and sexy inner-mouth perfume, with its intense dark fruit and mineral flavors enlivened by brisk acidity. Not quite as salty as the Brûlées but still boasts terrific inner-mouth tension and energy. Still a bit youthfully tight--and less charming than the Brûlées--but not at all hard. The tannins reach the front teeth. Méo harvested this fruit later than the Brûlées, and this wine will need more bottle aging for its structure to soften. A great premier cru in the making.HK$24,375.00 -
Vinous (95-97)
The 2019 Vosne-Romanée Cros Parantoux 1er Cru, which I learned takes under an hour to pick, was showing just a little reduction on the nose, which is quite savory compared to the Aux Brûlées; it develops light ferrous notes with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins and ebullient red berry fruit suffused with energy before it segues into a structured, almost Richebourg-like finish. As usual, this is a very intellectual Cros Parantoux that will benefit from several years in a lucky cellar.HK$14,880.00 -
Tim Atkin MW (97)
Extremely brambly with incense, savory spice and smoked meats, this is an exotic Vosne. There is extraordinary fruit concentration that vies with the remarkably well-tamed tannins. It's the acidity that powers the structure, and it is downright mouth-watering. Three barrels – all new oak – were made in 2020. 2024-45HK$17,285.00 -
Tim Atkin MW (97)
Extremely brambly with incense, savory spice and smoked meats, this is an exotic Vosne. There is extraordinary fruit concentration that vies with the remarkably well-tamed tannins. It's the acidity that powers the structure, and it is downright mouth-watering. Three barrels – all new oak – were made in 2020. 2024-45HK$47,140.00 -
Vinous (95+)
Saturated bright ruby-red. Knockout nose combines black raspberry, licorice, minerals, meat and smoke. Large-scaled and impressively dense, with superb energy to the dark fruit, licorice, mineral, spice and game flavors. The explosive finish is like an avalanche over the palate, driving out everything in its wake. Substantial ripe tannins are hidden by complex finishing flavors of red fruits, smoked meat and leather. For all its soil-driven wildness, this sappy, extract-rich wine is quite pristine. Should be a monumental bottle by 2020.HK$13,780.00 -
Vinous (94)
Very good deep red. Black fruits, licorice, dark chocolate and sweet oak on the very ripe nose. Large-scaled and compellingly sweet, with wonderfully ripe, sappy dark berry flavors conveying a chewy impression of solidity. A very ripe 2006 whose solid tannic backbone and excellent persistence suggest that it will evolve slowly. If you can't wait to taste this, give it time in a decanter first.HK$10,075.00 -
Vinous (94-97)
Saturated ruby-red. Aromatic and very pure but restrained on the nose, offering high-pitched aromas of dark raspberry, black cherry, flowers, spices and minerals. Impressively concentrated and dense yet light on its feet, with its very intense flavors of dark fruits, spices and flowers enlivened by saline tension. Almost painful in the middle palate in the early going, this wine finishes with firm but suave tannins and outstanding lingering perfume. Méo did not add SO2 in the fermenter because this wine often has reduction issues. With its fruit of steel, this beauty should enjoy a long life in bottle.HK$20,510.00