2005 Domaine Méo-Camuzet Vosne-Romanée Les Chaumes 1er Cru

The 2005 Vosne-Romanee Les Chaumes displays some of the most bitterly-concentrated of vintage-typical black fruits, along with notes of game on the nose. Firm but ripe and rich in the mouth, with cassis, elderberry and beet root accented by salty, stony minerality and savory soy and meat juice character, this finishes with striking length, but will need a decade in the cellar, I suspect, becoming silky and more generous. Between the effects of drought and of localized hail (in May, before it could effect quality) Jean-Nicolas Meo reported one of his smallest-ever harvests. His production, however, is being boosted these days by a range of negociant wines under the label “Meo-Camuzet Frere et Soeur” (marked “F&S” in the listing above). The top wines had been assembled in tank and sulfured in preparation for bottling, and were suffering a bit on account of this. Importer: Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 524-1524. Also a Jean-Marie de Champs Selection (various importers), French fax 011 33 3 80 22 58 25.