Domaine Meo-Camuzet Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru 2018
(Cote de Nuits, France) - [DM 97] [WS 94] [WA 93-95] [BH 91-94] [VM 91-93]

About the Wine:
Méo-Camuzet is one of the most celebrated domaines of the Côte d’Or, located in the heart of prestigious Vosne-Romanée. The domaine boasts fourteen hectares of land in some of the most spectacular appellations and crus of Burgundy. The vineyard land in Burgundy is highly parceled out among families, which makes it rare for anyone to have enough vines to be able to bottle one grand cru, let alone the six that the Méos have. Founder Étienne Camuzet was not only a passionate vigneron, but a full-time politician, and spent most of his time in Paris, representing the Côte d’Or. In order to keep his land in use, he offered it to capable share-croppers to farm. By the time his daughter had inherited the estate, she found herself with no successors, so the estate was passed down to her closest relative, Jean Méo, who was also involved in politics:he served as a member of Charles DeGaulle’s cabinet. Jean's son Jean-Nicolas took over in 1985.

The Clos de Vougeot vineyard was farmed by monks for nearly a thousand years before more earthly beings began to take over. There is ample historical evidence to be 100% certain that this site is capable of making some of the world’s finest and longest-lived Pinot Noir. It is also one of the few Grand Crus (like Corton) large enough to have multiple lieux-dits within it. Jean-Nicolas Méo owns vines in the lieux-dits of Grand Mapertuis and Près du Cellier (two very good ones). His Vougeot is marked by richness, concentration, velvety structure, broad aromatics, length, and power. It is a complete wine, and one that merits at least eight years of bottle age before it is enjoyed.

97 Points - Decanter Magazine:
"The Méo section of the Clos is extremely well placed: the majority is in Chioures, near the top. Lavalle referred to this as ‘Musigny-Chioures,' a testament to its ability to combine elegance and finesse with power and depth of flavour. The fruit is all destemmed and fermented on native yeasts in concrete, with extraction by a gentle combination of pumping over and punching down. There is a bit more presence than the Lamarche, with vibrancy and tension, yet the wine makes a stunning impression with a lovely purity of red and black fruit and incredibly silky texture." – Charles Curtis, MW (Mar 2021)

 94 Points - Wine Spectator:
"Pure and juicy cherry, blackberry, violet and earth flavors fill the plush texture in this red. It's harmonious, with a hint of burning vine cuttings on the lingering finish. So lush and velvety it's approachable now, yet there is a solid grip underneath the ripe fruit. Drink now through 2036. 95 cases imported." – BS (Dec 2020)

93-95 Points- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:
“The 2018 Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru is also showing very well, exhibiting aromas of sweet wild berries, dried flowers, woodsmoke, blood orange and rich soil tones. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, concentrated and muscular, with an ample chassis of fine tannins, good tension at the core and a long, youthfully chewy finish.” – William Kelley (Jan 2020)

91-94 Points - Allen Meadows' BurgHound:
"An unusually spicy and appealingly fresh array is comprised by liqueur-like red berry fruit aromas, especially cherry, that are laced with notes earth, lavender and a whisper of exotic spice. There is a lovely sense of underlying tension to the rich, well-detailed and relatively sleek medium-bodied flavors that display focused power on the sneaky long and markedly firm finale." (Jan 2020) 

91-93 Points- Vinous Media:
"The 2018 Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru has a fragrant bouquet of crushed rose petals and briar infusing the airy red berry fruit. The palate is well balanced with pure red cherries and crushed strawberry fruit, a hint of dark chocolate and a finely proportioned, smooth finish. Very fine." – Neal Martin (Jan 2020)