Domaine Meo-Camuzet Richebourg 2017

Made from a .37 ha parcel in Les Véroilles of 60+ year old vines save for a very tiny parcel in Richebourg proper, this is a king of a wine. You are impressed by its finesse, its length and its delicate sensations, endlessly changing. The fact that no element dominates the others enables you to appreciate all of its aromas, on the nose and on the palate. Force and subtlety in one wine? In any given vintage, Richebourg is always one of the last wines to be drunk. Not because it is too aggressive when young; simply because it needs time to reveal its full complexity.

Jean-Nicolas Méo describes 2017 as "one where we enjoyed a relatively tranquil growing season. After the vinifications I found the wines to be a bit light but they really put on weight after the early but long malos finished and they possess much better balance. My take on the style and quality is that the 2017s are like more interesting versions of the 2007s. They're charming and delicious, plus I think it should drink well young."

Méo-Camuzet is one of the most celebrated domaines of the Côte d'Or, located in the heart of prestigious Vosne-Romanée. The domaine boasts 14 hectares of land in some of the most spectacular appellations and crus of Burgundy. Founder Étienne Camuzet was not only a passionate vigneron, but a full-time politician, and spent most of his time in Paris, representing the Côte d'Or. By the time his daughter had inherited the estate, she found herself with no successors, so the estate was passed down to her closest relative, Jean Méo. Jean was also deeply involved in national politics-he served as a member of Charles DeGaulle's cabinet. Consequently, he, too, had to direct the domaine from afar. In the early 1980s, as many of the métayeurs were starting to retire, it became clear that the domaine needed a new direction.

Jean's son, Jean-Nicolas had also spent most of his life in Paris, but had an enormous passion for winegrowing. By 1985, it was his turn to take the helm. In lieu of continuing to rent out their highly-pedigreed vineyards, he made the bold decision to slowly start reclaiming the land for the domaine's own bottlings. He called upon the resident expert, one of Burgundy's greatest winemakers of all time, Henri Jayer, for guidance. Henri had spent over forty years farming parcels from Méo-Camuzet under his own label. For three years, he mentored Jean-Nicolas during the transition and finally decided to retire in 1988. Jean-Nicolas has since directed the winemaking in the cellar and managed sales. He has put the vineyards in the capable hands of Christian Faurois, son of one of domaine's métayeurs, who has dedicated himself to these vineyards since 1973.

We have visited this illustrious estate and tasted wine with Jean-Nicolas. He is extremely serious and detail-oriented with an underlying passion for the vines and the wines which he ultimately produces. Today Domaine Méo-Camuzet bottles four astounding grands crus (Richebourg, Clos de Vougeot, Corton Clos Rognet, and Échezeaux, with two more Cortons soon on the way), ten premier crus (from the communes of Vosne-Romanée, Nuits-St-Georges, Chambolle-Musigny, and Fixin), several village wines including this Vosne-Romanee, one Bourgogne Rouge, and only one white. Jean-Nicolas aims for balance and purity of fruit, which he accomplishes with terrific success. Though delicate and fine, even in their youth, the paradoxical concentration and intensity of these wines make them ideal for long aging.