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Wine Description
The Story
The vines are in their prime in terms of age and quality since they were planted in two sessions between 1965 and 1972. They produce grapes which ripen very early and no time must be lost in picking them before they spoil. Yet their acidity is astonishing and gives the wine its very distinctive character.
Lying half way between Vosne and Nuits-St-Georges, like Nuits Boudots, ideally situated on the lower (and nobler) part of the hill, and facing east: the soil is fairly fine, even sandy at the top of the plot. The name of the cru refers to a pile of stones, which still exists today, since the soil once had to be "destoned” in order to render it more suitable for cultivation.
Wine Information
Domaine Méo-Camuzet
Domaine Méo-Camuzet was founded at the beginning of the last century when Mr Étienne Camuzet began to select vineyards whose location and reputation were of particular interest to him. His daughter, Maria Noirot, inherited his vineyards but she herself had no children so, at her death in 1959, she bequeathed the domain to Jean Méo, who was then working in the staff of Général de Gaulle.
Maria Noirot et Jean Méo were distant relatives but the two families had close ties and Maria's will stated that "all should carry on", which of course has been respected. At that period, vintners under 'métayage', a sort of sharecropping agreement, were in charge of the vineyards and winemaking.
Jean Méo sold his portion of wines to famous local merchants. This agreement enabled him to pursue his Parisian career while keeping an eye on his Burgundian estate.
As of 1985, the estate began selling under its own label, directly from the cellars. And after 1988, it progressively took charge of the vineyards as the contacts with the vintners expired. Jean-Nicolas Méo, son of Jean Méo, then took responsibility and is now in charge of technical and administrative matters. He is helped in these tasks by Henri Jayer who advises him on winemaking and by Christian Faurois, vineyard manager.
The objective is to make wines with structure and delicacy - with concentration as well as charm. The balance of a wine is essential: refinement and complexity are the hallmarks of great wines and represent the desired goals throughout the wine making and ageing processes. Of course, this notion cannot be separated from that of terroir. For many years, the wine estate has rejected the use of chemicals alone and attempts to encourage a natural balance by using authorized organic agricultural products and specific practices, including ploughing, by paying particular attention to the vine-growing techniques which attempt to prevent diseases and keep yields in check.
These practices are not just for show: their objective is to achieve a harmony between the vine and its environment and to allow the terroir and climate, specific to each vintage, to express themselves.
Domaine Méo-Camuzet
11, rue des Grands Crus
21700 Vosne-Romanée - France
Tel/Fax +33 3 80 61 11 05
information@meo-camuzet.com
www.meo-camuzet.com
Vintage 1996
1996 VINTAGE in Burgundy
Maturity levels were in general high following a long hot summer. The wines from the famous Pinot Noir have an intense ruby red colour with lush red fruit aromas. They are wines that are comparable with the outstanding 88s and 89s. The whites are just as outstanding full-bodied with elegant vibrant Chardonnay fruit and sweet white flower and grilled nut aromas. These are wines that have the potential to age magnificently.
Each harvest we hope for three things, favorable weather conditions, healthy grape clusters and high sugar levels. The 1996 harvest provided all of these. April was particularly sunny and brought about an early bud burst (18th of April). Following this we had what can be described as a flash flowering which leads to good pollination, creating high yields.
Arean had low rainfall levels, a sturdy breeze (which kept rot to a minimum) and a long ripening period. These factors created high sugar levels and good acidity within the grapes. Cloud cover in August, combined with the coldest September on record meant that the sugar levels were exceptionally high and so was the acidity: 12% potential alcohol with 5.5g of acidity for Corton Reds and 13%-14% potential alcohol with 6g of acidity for Corton Charlemagne.
As a result, most are very pleased with the 1996 vintage. The reds have an intense color, good tannin structure and concentrated Pinot Noir flavor. The white wines are also impressive, containing plenty of rich fruit character, a crisp acidity and are already showing an attractive bouquet.
