Jean-Nicolas Méo said his yields were fairly small in 2015. For the most part, malolactic fermentations were normal, finishing in April through August, although a few were quite late and even still ongoing when I visited at the end of October 2016. He said the wines had low pHs, but also low total acidities.
Harvesting began on 5 September with a two-day halt in the middle to allow for the return of good weather. He took the risk that the grapes would get too ripe, but in fact that did not occur, although he said that in one or two wines the grapes were riper than he would have considered ideal. Importantly, the grapes did not lose acidity as they continued to sit on the vines.
Wines marked with an asterisk (*) are négociant wines sold under the Méo-Camuzet Frère & Soeurs label. These are not to be scorned — look at the scores and descriptions. The sources have been consistent, as far as I know, and for the Chambolle and Nuits négociant wines, they are effectively farmed by Méo-Camuzet and but for some very technical reasons, would be included as estate wines.
2015 Bourgogne Pinot Noir*
When I tasted, the final blend had not yet been decided upon. This wine has attractive smoothness to its texture with fresh red cherry pit fruit. (88-91)
2015 Marsannay*
Here, too, what I tasted was not the definitive blend. The texture here is smooth, too, with strawberry and other red berry fruit. (88-92)
2015 Fixin*
The Fixin is very dense with dark fruit, freshness, smoothness of texture, and notable length. Despite being a village wine from one of the less well-known villages, this is a very serious wine. (89-92)
2015 Gevrey-Chambertin*
Méo’s Gevrey is dense, muscular, and very concentrated with blackberry fruit. This is a rustic wine, with no real finesse. The vines are located in the north of Gevrey and in Brochon. (89-92)
2015 Chambolle-Musigny*
This wine is showing brilliantly with fresh, stony dark fruit, good acidity, lightness, and energy. The wine is 13.8-13.9º natural alcohol, but the alcohol is fully integrated. (90-94)
2015 Fixin 1er Cru Clos du Chapître*
This wine shows lightness and finesse with long dark fruits and plenty of development in the mouth. Half the wine was raised in new oak, but there is no overt oakiness. (90-94)
2015 Vosne-Romanée
The Vosne is from the Barreaux and Communes lieux-dits. The malolactic fermentation here was very late, possibly causing the wine’s to suffer in its showing compared to the others. The wine is dense, more closed and tannic today than the foregoing wines, although some Vosne spice is evident. (88-92)
2015 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Feusselottes*
The Feusselottes is from vines planted in 1990, and thus beginning to attain early maturity. The smooth texture is most attractive, and there is a firmness to the long dark fruit here. An excellent showing. (91-95)
2015 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Cras*
This wine is a bit round and plump and perhaps lacks the race of some of Méo’s best wines in 2015, but there’s plenty of attractiveness here, still. Very strongly limestone soils, 10% stems included in this wine. (89-93)
2015 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Perrières*
Here we have old (60 years) vines, 1/3 new oak. The wine is light, firm, edgy, penetrating, and floating above the tongue. (92-95)
2015 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Aux Argillas*
Here we have a wine with good minerality and finesse to go with raspberry and strawberry fruit that is long and harmonious. To be honest, this wine was better than I expected — the vines here now are about 40 years-old, so maybe beginning to hit their stride? (91-94)
2015 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Aux Murgers
The Murgers is dense, compact, and concentrated in its dark plum fruit. The wine is firm and smooth — an excellent example of Nuits from the Vosne slope. (92-96)
2015 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Aux Boudots
Méo’s Boudots is firm and smooth with dark fruit and slight truffliness. The wine is intense and deep but does not show the finesse of the Murgers. This wine is made with about 10% of the stems but no carbonic maceration. (92-95)
2015 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Chaumes
The Chaumes displays strawberry aromas. The mouth is spicy, rich, and dense with tannins that underlie the dark fruit flavors. Good acidity here. Chaumes is a vineyard that 25-30 years ago often was of marginal premier cru standard from many producers, most have learned how to work the vineyard and much better quality wines are now coming from it across the board. (91-94)
Corton-La Vigne Au Saint
Rather low on the Corton hill and facing south, this is not one of the stronger Corton locations, but still the wine has its qualities. It is lighter than the two following Cortons but there is good differentiation of fruit here along with nervosity and good length to the red fruits. The vines date to the early 1960s. (91-95)
2015 Corton-Perrières
Here we have good acidity making for a nervy, focused wine with depth, finesse, minerality, and energy. Jean-Nicolas thinks that this wine is not yet showing its full potential. 13.8-13.9º natural alcohol here, and 10% stems in this wine. (92-95)
2015 Corton Clos Rognet
Even more than the Murgers and the Boudots, this has always been the under-the-radar wine for quality at Méo-Camuzet. The vines here date to 1927. The nose is stony. The mouth is nervy and steely with intensity and penetration to the dark, very focused fruit. (93-97)
2015 Échézeaux Les Rouges du Bas
The Échézeaux is medium-weight and firm with dark plum fruit and a firm texture, but it hasn’t yet attainted its full harmony (the malolactic fermentation was later here). The vineyard here dates to 1950, but about 1/4 of the vines have since been replanted. There is a small amount of stems used in fermentation of this wine. (91-95)
2015 Clos de Vougeot
The fruit here is dark with plenty of minerality and the wine shows excellent structure. Méo generally has one of the better, if not one of the best, wines from Clos de Vougeot, as is the case in 2015. (92-96)
2015 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Brulées
The Brulées vineyard sits on two side of the road going up the canyon. Méo’s is in the minority for Brulées, being on the southern side and an extension of Richebourg. The wine is smooth and deep with an explosiveness and concentration that make it very close to Richebourg in style and quality. (95-98)
2015 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Au Cros Parantoux
Except under very rainy conditions, the Cros Parantoux is always Méo’s last-harvested vineyard. This vintage is made with 10% of the stems and, as usual, all new oak. For a number of years, I usually found the Cros Parantoux superior to Méo’s Richebourg, but the last few vintages I have reversed that preference. With this vintage, I am back to a slight preference for the Cros Parantoux. The wine has red berry fruit that is almost liqueur-like in its quality, but not over the top. It is intense, explosive and very mineral with great length. This is Cros Parantoux in one of its finest vintages. (95-99)
2015 Richebourg
Unsurprisingly, the Richebourg is no slouch, either. It is less explosive than the Cros Parantoux but full, rich, and complete with dark plums and other dark fruits and incredible length. No stems used in this wine. (94-98)
Switching now to the whites:
2015 Bourgogne-Hautes Côtes de Nuits Clos Saint-Philibert
Quite a good showing for this wine with stoniness and purity, as well as some richness. This was the first time Méo has ever harvested this wine before the reds. Vines are now about 20 years old. Natural alcohol was almost 13º. (87-90)
2015 Saint-Romain*
This and the following negociant wines are made from purchased grapes, not musts, as is frequently the case for négociant whites. The wine shows good minerality and energy with depth and penetration. Cold terroirs such as St-Romain are good places to look for 2015 whites. Vines here are about 30 years old. (88-91)
2015 Saint-Aubin 1er Cru En Vermarin*
This is a tighter, more mineral wine but without the depth and penetration of the previous wine. (86-89)
2015 Meursault*
This wine has white peach fruit and good acidity. Harvested 21 August! (88-91)
2015 Corton-Charlemagne*
The Corton-Charlemagne has two sources, one on the Pernand (east-facing) side and one on the Aloxe-Corton side, which gives the riper fruit. In 2015 there are 5 barrels (1500 bottles). This wine is lush but also has a tightness to it. The wine features good peach fruit and nice energy. In short, a good Corton-Charlemagne. (92-95)