2008 Domaine Méo-Camuzet Corton Clos Rognet Grand Cru

The sappy, jam-like intensity to the black fruits in Meo’s 2008 Corton Clos Rognet as well as their resinous and medicinal overlay and bold accompanying tannins won’t be every pinotphile’s dream. But this is certainly not just a powerful Pinot but also a powerful representation of Corton minerality in its sense of stony underpinnings. A vintage-typical tartness of berry skin helps enliven the otherwise sweet, rich, yet at the same time tannic and stony finish. If you like the style and have some faith, this should I suspect lie forgotten in your cellar for the next 5-6 years and thereafter be savored over at least that long a period. But will the tannins here – or the sharp edges (if that’s an appropriate expression for he wine’s tart notes) – really “round out”? Or ought we to some extent to see them as simply part and parcel of the vintage character? Nicolas Meo himself responded candidly that he couldn’t be sure, but that he didn’t for a minute doubt the sheer longevity of a wine like this. Jean-Nicolas Meo emphasized the contrast between the low pHs of his 2008s (typical, of course, for this vintage in general) and the high pHs of 2007, which ironically – since the latter were given a higher dosage of sulfur as a precaution against undesirable bacteriological activity – led, he reported, to 2007s that showed a harder side initially than many of the corresponding 2008s. Given the high acids of 2008, says Meo, he preferred to let the fruit hang longer – even despite some shriveling – so that few of the musts were chaptalized and most were 13% or higher in natural alcohol. Typical for this address, the wines display admirable, even unusually strong sweetness of fruit, but in 2008 accompanied by prominent tannins and notes of new wood. Meo compares his 2008s with 2001 and 1996, opining that his wines from those two vintages have for the most part – in contrast with many 1993s – evolved nicely and without exhibiting excessive stiffness or hardness. I caught some 2008s in bottle and others from tank just before bottling, and the several 2007s I tasted alongside showed well, although Meo – in contrast with most growers – thinks his 2008 fruit was superior even in sheer ripeness. (Negociant wines – some from parcels the Meos in fact farm – are noted as “Frere et Soeur.”) 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

Good medium red. Liqueur-like aromas of dark raspberry and pungent minerals. Deep and seductive in the mouth, with lovely sweetness but zero roasted character. Quite minerally and pretty for this cuvee Finishes very long, with substantial ripe tannins and a captivating floral element. A superb early showing for this wine.

Bit soft and jammy on the nose but with a certain polish and raciness. Drawing-room Corton. Hint of maraschino cherry. Fine boned. (JR)