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Jean-Nicolas Méo said that overall production in 2021 was down about 30% from normal, but it was very unequal: some vineyards had normal production, others were down 70-80%. The wines were bottled between January and April 2023. Jean-Nicolas indicated that he took the wines out of barrel to en masse a little earlier than usual and tried to bottle without any hint of reduction. He is hoping that these are wines that will not go through a closed period.
The estate follows organic principles except for two sprayings in the spring that are not entirely organic.
Méo said that one difference from the past is that he is now bottling more magnums.
All wines below were tasted from coravined bottles. Those wines not otherwise indicated are Domaine wines; those indicated Méo-Camuzet Frère & Soeurs are négociant wines.
As you can see, there were some very great wines produced here.
2021 Marsannay
In the past, this had been a Méo-Camuzet Frère & Soeurs bottling, but it is now a Domaine bottling. Jean-Nicolas said that the same base plot, which is part of Domaine Méo-Camuzet, remains and he had supplemented it in the past with purchased fruit; however, for various reasons, he was not happy with the purchased fruit, and so is sticking to the base plot. The wine is mineral and saline with dark fruit, medium-weight, with a velvet texture. 90/A
2021 Chambolle-Musigny (Méo-Camuzet Frère & Soeurs)
This wine is medium-light in weight with a beautiful fine texture that falls on the tongue, dark fruits, and good length. 90/A
2021 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Chaumes
There are dark fruits here and a smooth texture and some fennel elements, but the wine is so shut down for the moment that I really couldn’t evaluate it. ?
2021 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Feusselottes (Méo-Camuzet Frère & Soeurs)
This wine has beautiful, pure dark fruits with harmony and a delicate layering that falls on the tongue. It is from properties belonging to Tim Marshall, which Méo has been exploiting for some time and which will revert to Marshall’s son, and another owner. 94/A
2021 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Aux Boudots
The wine is pure with typical Boudots smooth texture and taste, creaminess, freshness, and energy. 94+/A
2021 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Aux Murgers
The Nuits-Murgers features mineral dark berry fruit. The wine is firm, layered, complex, stony, and fresh. It is an excellent representation of this underrated vineyard. 94/A
2021 Corton-Perrières
The Corton-Perrières is the only wine in 2021 where Jean-Nicolas Méo included a bit of whole clusters; he did so because the wine otherwise can be a bit too sturdy. It has red and dark fruits, a creamy texture, freshness, energy, penetration, and some stoniness. 93+/A-
2021 Clos de Vougeot
The Clos de Vougeot has spicy dark and red fruits typical of the vineyard, finesse, purity, and for Clos de Vougeot, elegance. 94+/A
2021 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Brulées
From a plot adjacent to Richebourg, Méo has produced a very great Brulées in 2021 — but one Jean-Nicolas thinks is not for early consumption. The wine has beautiful layering of dark fruits with fine tannins, and superb freshness. 98/A+
2021 Richebourg
Even more fantastic than the Brulées is the Richebourg — a wine of finesse and elegance put also great energy, penetration, length, plus a steely texture. Here it’s a wine with a very great future. 99/A+
2021 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Au Cros Parantoux
Completing the trio of Richebourg and its satellites, the Cros Parantoux from above Richebourg has an explosive nose of spices. The mouth has magnificent layering on the tongue, with length, finesse, and fingers of silk that stretch on the palate. Jean-Nicolas thinks that Cros Parantoux normally takes twenty years to show its full potential, but in this vintage it can be drunk young. 98/A+
2021 Corton Clos Rognet
Last, the Corton Clos Rognet has blue fruits with a creamy texture, freshness, and excellent layering. It is not as powerful as some other Cortons, but certainly there is no rusticity here. The vines here are approaching 100 years of age, which these days gives the disadvantage that it ripens earlier; in fact, Jean-Nicolas noted, it is always the first vineyard to be harvested. 96(+)/A