Jean-Nicolas Méo said that harvesting took place from 6 to 9 September. Malo-lactic fermentations were rapid, and the wines took some time to recover from them, he said. He said that malic acidities were high; most other estates I visited said malic acidities were normal or low.
The estate will be switching to DIAM corks of top quality for its top cuvées, thereby joining other prestigious estates, such as Lafon, Domaine Leflaive, de Montille (in part), and Bouchard Père & Fils, that have made the switch.
Wines marked with an asterisk (*) are Méo-Camuzet Frère & Soeurs, made from purchased fruit (including, in some cases, vineyards that Méo-Camuzet essentially farms); those without the asterisk are Domaine Méo-Camuzet wines.
We start with whites:
2017 Bourgogne-Hautes Côtes de Nuits Saint Philibert
This wine is quite regular. It is rich, but fresh, with minerality and lime fruit. (88-90)
2017 Saint-Romain*
The Saint-Romain is light on the palate but rich, pure, long, and mineral. (89-91)
2017 Corton-Charlemagne*
This wine is from two parcels, one early-ripening and one late. The wine has Corton-Charlemagne minerality and power with lightness on the palate. (92-94)
Switching to the reds:
2017 Fixin*
The Fixin has deep, dark fruits that are pure and crystalline with medium weight and there’s some structure to offer aging potential. It is a delicious wine already. (90-92)
2017 Marsannay*
The Marsannay has dark fruit and is ample and mouth-coating, but still light on the palate. (89-91)
2017 Pommard*
The Pommard is surprisingly tender with round tannins, fruits that are more red than dark, and the wine has a satiny texture. (87-89)
2017 Vosne-Romanée
This wine shows dark fruit, good acidity, freshness, velvety texture, and good concentration. It's a good wine, but in this vintage, I’m not sure it’s better than the less expensive Fixin or Marsannay. (89-91)
2017 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Cras*
Méo’s Chambolle-Cras has good backbone and structure with dark fruits and some red, as well. The wine has length and firmness. It seems to be a step up from the wines of some years back, and it turns out that there has been some grafting of new vines which gives greater acidity. (91-93)
2017 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Perrières*
The Perrières energy is here with dark fruits, a medium-light body, and lightness on the palate. Surprising for Nuits, it is a wine of finesse. (91-94)
2017 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Aux Murgers
From vines planted in the 1970s, the Nuits-Murgers has spicy dark fruits, especially dark plums (and some red plums, too). It is medium-full and shows some backbone. (92-95)
2017 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Aux Boudots
Here we have older vines than for the Murgers, 60-70 years. Oak shows in the nose. The mouth has a velvet texture, and the wine is light and pure on the palate with length, depth, and great finesse. (93-95)
2017 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Chaumes
The Vosne-Chaumes is fruity in the nose. The mouth features dark plum fruit, roundness, and some weight on the palate. This wine is more rustic than the previous wines. (90-93)
2017 Clos-de-Vougeot
Méo has more than one parcel of Clos-de-Vougeot; in some vintages, such as 2009 and 2010, part or all of one parcel has been held apart, giving more than one cuvée. Jean-Nicolas has not yet decided whether he will have more than one cuvée in 2017. This wine is from the plot below the château de Clos-de-Vougeot, designated, I believe, as Près le Cellier when it is separately bottled. The nose is floral with some oak elements. The mouth shows black raspberry, spice, and some wood. It has good length, and as always with Méo-Camuzet Clos-de-Vougeot, excellent elegance for the vineyard. (93-96)
2017 Corton Les Perrières
The Corton-Perrières displays red fruits with good energy and penetration. The wine is medium-light in body and has some tannin showing. (92-95)
2017 Corton Clos Rognet
Maybe the estate’s most consistently underrated wine, the Corton-Rognet has depth and purity with dark fruits, power, and finesse. It is a complete wine. (94-97)
2017 Echézeaux Les Rouges du Bas
The Echézeaux is dense and concentrated with dark fruit and spice flavors and aromas. The wine is medium-weight and has elegance. Some soy notes on the finish. (92-94)
2017 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Brulées
The Vosne-Brulées is dense and pure, but less forward than usual. There’s some spice here, but also quite a bit of tannin, but the wine absorbs it. This would appear to be one of the longer agers in the cellar this year. (93-96)
2017 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Au Cros Parantoux
The Vosne-Cros Parantoux is smooth and weighty with plenty of exuberant, exotic dark plum fruit recalling the Richebourg vineyard below it. There also seems to be more finesse here than usual. (94-97)
2017 Richebourg
Speaking of Richebourg, it’s not always the greatest wine in the cellar in my opinion (some vintages, that honor goes to the Cros Parantoux), but it was the greatest on this visit. The wine has a fabulous, caressing texture with exotic dark plum fruit, precision, expressiveness, and length. (96-98)