Domaine Meo-Camuzet Richebourg Grand Cru 2018
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Robert
Parker - Decanter
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Richebourg is a king of a wine: the Colonnade of the Louvre, the Château of Versailles. 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.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Richebourg Grand Cru is a little more backward than the premiers crus that preceded it, opening in the glass with notes of strawberry compote, cherries, raw cocoa, espresso roast and a lavish application of new oak. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, rich and enveloping, with a textural, concentrated profile underpinned by succulent acids. My sense is that this will come together very positively with further élevage. There's certainly a sweetness to the fruit here that recalls Méo's very successful 2003 vintage, as well as the freshness and structure to ensure balance.
Barrel Sample: 94-96 -
Decanter
The Méos' two parcels in this brilliant Grand Cru add up to 0.35ha and consistently produce one of the most complete expressions of the terroir. This has aromas of wild herbs and ginger spice, scented vanilla oak, supple, plushly textured raspberry and wild strawberry fruit, velvety tannins and enough acidity and minerality for balance. The 80% new oak is expertly judged.
Other Vintages
2020- Vinous
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Jasper
Morris -
Robert
Parker
- Decanter
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Jasper
Morris
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 fourteen hectares of land in some of the most spectacular appellations and crus of Burgundy. Méo-Camuzet bottles four astounding grands crus, ten premier crus, several village wines, one Bourgogne Rouge, and only one white. Vigneron Jean-Nicolas Méo 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 cellar aging.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
This is the village for the most die-hard Burgundy fanatics. Vosne-Romanée has for many hundreds of years been the source of the most sought-after Pinot Noir in Burgundy. The village claims six Grands Crus—and some of the most famous at that—but in other villages where owners manage tiny parcels or a few rows of any one vineyard, monopolies dominate the Grands Crus of Vosne-Romanee.
Of these monopolies, Domaine Romanee-Conti (DRC) reigns supreme, claiming not only more total vineyard area than any other producer, but outright owning the entirety of two of the Grands Crus and a majority of two others. In its full possession are naturally Romanée-Conti, as well as La Tâche. DRC also owns most of Richebourg and Romanée-St-Vivant. The final two, La Grande Rue and La Romanée are completely owned by other other produers: François Lamarche and Comte Liger Belair, respectively.
While one could spend a lifetime on the puzzles of land ownership in Burgundy, the point is that Vosne-Romanee contains the most valuable pieces of vineyard real estate in the world. Pinot Noir from any of its vineyards—especially from within its 27ha of Grand Cru or 58 ha of Premier Cru land—is going to rank among the best.
The most outstanding wines from this village have everything: finesse and elegance coupled with the body and sturdiness for incredibly long aging ability. They are intensely floral and exotically spiced. Beautifully ripe, complex and ephemeral throughout, they are robust, yet fine-grained in texture. These wines will stay gorgeous for the long haul.