1990 Crozes Hermitage Les Meysonniers

The Crozes-Hermitage-Les Meysonniers comes from a 60-year old vineyard that is organically farmed. Chapoutier limits the yields from this vineyard to a microscopic 20 hectoliters per hectare. The 1990 displays a dense, opaque, black/purple color, and a huge, fragrant nose of pepper, herbs, licorice, and black fruits. In the mouth, it is ripe, medium to full-bodied, with wonderful concentration, and a smooth finish. It comes close to rivaling the 1990s made in Crozes-Hermitage by Paul Jaboulet at their Thalabert vineyard, and Alain Graillot. The young Michel Chapoutier continues his quest of cultivating his vineyards in an organic fashion, and turning out wines that reflect the soil, the grape, and the vintage. These concentrated (because of low yields) wines are made with minimal intervention by the winemaker. Chapoutier did extremely well with his northern Rhone vineyards in 1991. Importer: Paterno Imports, Chicago, IL.