Domaine Méo-Camuzet Cros Parantoux 2006: An encounter with perfection

I had but a passing knowledge of Vosne-Romanée Premier Cru Cros Parantoux until I read a full-throated acclaim of its virtues in the Japanese manga series Drops of God. That encounter led to me investigate the wine further and to, eventually, acquire a bottle for a tasting we were having in Orlando on July 18th. The wine was everything I hoped it would be. And more. Before talking about this specific bottle, however, some background is in order.

Burgundy's Vosne-Romanée vineyard has been referred to as the Pearl of the Côte; and for good reason. It is home to some of the world's most famous Grand Cru sites (La Romanée, La Tâche, Richebourg, etc.) but it is also home to some well-regarded Premier Cru sites, led by the subject of this post, the 1.01-ha (2.5-acre) climat, Cros Parantoux. The site is relatively cool, sits at 285 m (940 feet) elevation, and is underpinned by shallow, limestone-rich soils. In describing the site, Henri Jayer stated thusly (Jacky Rigaux, A Tribute to the Great Wines of Burgundy):

Nested at the entrance of a small valley, this plot is exceptional. It is well sheltered, a little less exposed to the sun than "Le Richebourg," but pinot does not require a lot of sun. While the potential alcohol content is lower, the pH is always more interesting.

Source: imperatrice.com.hk

This plot has led a "storied life" but will forever be associated with Henri Jayer, one of the giants of Burgundian winemaking. The plot had fallen into disrepair after the phylloxera infestation of the late 19th century and was re-purposed as an artichoke farm during WWII. Jayer bought his first parcel in 1951 and, after extensive use of dynamite to clear away the rocks and artichoke roots, was able to begin planting vines in 1953. Jayer's final purchase in 1970 brought his share of the climat to .715 ha. The remaining .295 ha was owned by Jean Méo, and was farmed by Jayer until 1987 under a sharecropper agreement. When Méo's son Jean Nicolo sought to the produce wines under the Méo label, it was agreed that the contract between the two parties would not be renewed upon its expiration. A summary of the history of the climat and its wines are provided in the figure below.

The bottle purchased for the tasting was the 2006 Méo-Camuzet Cros Parantoux.

In the Jayer book, Rigaux described the 2006 Burgundy vintage as follows: "The grapes were sound and achieved a beautiful physical maturity ... Red wines were of a great sensuality, with a beautiful consistency, a silky texture, and a delicate touch from their early stages, but promised good harmonious aging." Méo-Camuzet expressed surprise at the depth and maturity of the vintage (meo-camuzet.com), referring to it as a classic year with balance its most evident characteristic.

The tasting was held at the Victoria and Albert's Queen Victoria Room at Disney's Grand Floridian Hotel. There were seven people in attendance and a lot of great wines graced the table.

The Cros was of a much younger age than we typically like to drink Burgundy so we decanted it for an hour prior to its scheduled appearance. All of the other wines tasted were grouped into flights; this one stood alone under the glare of the lights and anticipatory eyes.

The initial impression upon bringing the glass to the nose was a florality. Fresh-cut violets, said Ron. Potpourri, said Andrew. Accompanying this florality were notes of cinnamon and lifted red fruits. This wine was obviously young but wore its youth like a Toga rather than with uncouth brashness. On the palate a concentration which belied its color in the glass. Balanced. Palate-pleasing acidity and weight. Drying finish. With one mighty leap this wine had ascended to the top levels of wines that I have drunk. It seems somehow relatively inconsequential to designate it the wine of the night.


©Wine -- Mise en abyme

Vosne-Romanée: "The pearl of the Côte"

We just concluded a trip to Burgundy, the highlight of which was a visit to, arguably, the producer of the world's finest wines, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. The domaine's famed wines are made from grapes grown on fabled Grand Cru sites in Vosne-Romanée and Flagey-Échezeaux (Pinot Noir), Puligny- and Chassagne-Montrachet (Chardonnay), and, since 2009, Aloxe-Corton (Chardonnay). As a prelude to a discussion of the trip, I will provide some background on each of these regions, beginning with Vosne-Romanée in this post.

Vosne-Romanée is a small commune in the Côte de Nuits that, according to BBR, is the region's "brightest star" and "produces the finest and most expensive Pinot Noir wines in the world. Its wines have an extraordinary intensity of fruit which manages to combine power and finesse more magically than in any other part of the Côte d'Or." Writing on Decanter.com (Vosne-Romanée, April 7, 2005), Stephen Brook spoke glowingly of Vosne-Romanée: "Its wines are the epitome of fine and great red Burgundy. They are the apotheosis of Pinot Noir. ... Vosne's glory lies in its remarkable blend of richness and perfume, vibrant fruit and a profound structure. Few red burgundies are as long-lived as Vosne, nor evolve so subtly with bottle age."

As a whole, the Côte -- due to its location east of the Morvan Mountains, west of the Eastern Mountains, and south of the Vosges Mountains -- is sheltered from prevailing winds and, as a result, experiences higher temperatures and lower precipitation than neighboring areas. Saulieu, as an example, is only 73 km (45 miles) away yet gets 200 mm more rain per year than does Beaune.

Vosne-Romanée is dominated by cool weather which is somewhat tempered by continental and southern influences, the latter emanating from the Rhone Valley. The region experiences moderate and regular rainfall (730 mm) and temperature averages 10.5℃. The area is subject to occasional hail and frost attacks, which, like the hailstorms of the 2013 vintage, can significantly impact harvest volumes.

Henri Jayer (A Tribute to the Great Wines of Burgundy, with Jacky Rigaux), legendary Burgundian winemaker, described the Vosne-Romanée soils as brown and chalky and being partly the result of clay and limestone activity in the Jurassic period. The underlying rock is a hard, fossil-rich limestone which dates back to the intersection of the Upper Bajocian and Lower Bathonian ages. The limestone slope is covered by a thin layer of soil -- a few decimeters thick above the village -- that is comprised of: decomposing clays from the underlying limestone; colluvial deposits; collapsed rock; and silt brought down from the upper portions of the slope.

The primary soil layer varies in quantity and nature along the slope. For example: the soil is mostly thin and of limestone at the top of the slope; enriched clay further downslope; and relatively deep soils on spreading silty clay at the foot. This is rather poor soil but, combined with the excellent drainage provided by the cracked limestone substrate, and the excellent sun exposure provided by the slope and aspect, provides the perfect environment for growing Pinot Noir.

The Vosne-Romanée and Flagey-Échezeaux vineyards have historically been considered jointly. The vineyards in the two communes are east- and south-facing, following the convention in the region. Between the two communes, approximately 230 ha are devoted to grape growing, 157 ha in Vosne-Romanée and 73 ha in Flagey-Echezeaux. The distribution and geographic location of the vineyards were captured in the map above.

The Grand Cru vineyards are located on the mid-slope just above the villages of Vosne-Romanée and Flagey-Échezeaux at elevations ranging between 220 and 300 m. Vines are planted at a minimum of 9000 vines/ha. Additional details for the Grand Cru vineyards are presented in the table below.

Commune	Grand Cru Vineyard	Size (ha)	Soils	Owner(s)
Vosne-Romanée	La Tâche	5.03	Brown calcareous; deeper at top	Domaine de La Romanée-Conti (DRC)
	Romanée Conti	1.63	Brown limestone soils 60 cm deep; major clay component	DRC
	La Grand Rue	1.6	Brown limestone; thick at top; 12% slope	Domaine Francis Lamarche
	Richebourg	8.03	Brown calcareous over hard limestone	DRC (3.51 ha) + 10 other producers
	La Romanée	0.85
	Romanée-Saint-Vivant	9.3	Similar to Romanée-Conti but deeper	DRC (5.28 ha) + nine others
Flagey-Échezeaux	Grands Échezeaux	9.1	Marl and gravel over limestone; eastern exposure; 230 - 300 m elevation	DRC (3.5 ha) + 20 others
	Échezeaux	38	Same as for Grands; 3 - 4% slope; 250 m elevation	DRC (4.7 ha) + 20 others

Below are characterizations of selected Grands Cru wines as presented in the Jayer text.

Grand Cru	Characterization
Richebourg	Power, amplitude, and character One of Burgundy’s greatest wines Exuberantly fruity when young, with powerful, generous structure that gives touch of firmness On aging, intense and complex aroma of red fruits, violet and spices
Echezeaux	Complex and whole Full-bodied and supple Delicate fruity nose with concentrations of red and black berries Musk and fresh leather as the wine ages
Les Grands Échezeaux	Fleshy wine Encjhanting bouquet of blackcurrant, strawberry, cherry and raspberry With age aromas of forest, rare mushrooms, moss
La Romanée	Sumptuous color, full body, complex aromas Long aging
Romanée-Saint-Vivant	More delicate than powerful Always elegant Delicate flowers Cherry Remarkable balance and length
La Tâche	Strong color, rich bouquet, fullness of mouth Aptitude fro aging One of the Côte’s most complete wine
La Grand-Rue	Very rich bouquet with traces of violet and raspberry Ages gracefully

Source: Henri Jayer, A Tribute to the Great Wines of Burgundy, with Jacky Rigaux

The Premier Cru vineyards are located above the Grand Crus as well as lower down the slope, to the north and south of the Grand Crus. The soils above the Grand Cru vineyards are poor but favorable for good wines due to excellent drainage and an eastward orientation. The quality of the Premier Cru soils to the north and south of the Grand Crus is somewhat lower than the quality of the soils at the top of the slope. A total of 57 ha of vineyards are classified as Premier Cru with 46 ha located in Vosne-Romanée and the remainder in Flagey-Echezeaux. The Vosne-Romanée Premier Cru vineyards are drawn 11 from Vosne-Romanée proper, two from Flagey-Échezeaux and one is shared.

The Premier Crus are described thusly in the Henri Jayer book: "The Vosne Premiers Crus are rich, elegant, and they have an innate aptitude to aging. Some are very close to Grands Crus. At their best they give off an exceptionally refined bouquet mixing flowers (peony and wild rose in particular) forest, cherry, leather and fur." M. Jayer was especially favorably disposed to Cros Parantoux (which he vinified for 40 years) and Les Brûlées. Clive Coates is enamored of Les Brûlées ("one of the three best 'first growths' ", "wine of voluptuous richness and backbone, quality and depth, and the ability to last"), Les Suchots ("most noble of the first growths") and La Croix-Ramea ("wine with a Grand Cru flair") but not so much Charmes ("second division Premier Cru"). See the map above for a full listing of the Premier Crus.

A total of 96 ha is devoted to vines for the production of Village wines. These vineyards are located above the Grand Cru rim, at and below the village level. Jayer felt that the best Village vineyards are below Suchots and Romanée -Saint-Vivant -- in the direction of Clos Vougeot -- and that the least interesting wines came from the vines in the hollow to the north of the village. Soils for this class of vines tended to be limestone mixed with clayey marls with soil depths that range from tens of centimeters to 1 meter. These vines have an easterly exposure. As is the case for Premier Cru wines, the name of the climate from which the grapes are sourced can be so indicated on the label following the official AOC designation.

Up next, Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

Burgundy: Côte de Nuit AOCs

The Côte de Nuit, one of the premier Burgundy wine growing sub-regions, is home to the most expensive incarnations of Pinot Noir wines and vineyard properties in the world.  This post covers the sub-region and its associated appellations.

The Côte de Nuit, along with its sister region Côte de Beaune, comprise the fabled Côte-d'Or (golden hills), a limestone escarpment which runs north to south for 45 kilometers (27 miles) from Dijon to Santennay.  The climate for these two sub-regions is as has been described for traditional Burgundy. The soil is predominantly rendzina (a dark, grayish-brown, hummus-rich soil) and brown limestone with a covering of loose rock debris and instances of a gravel-red silt mix that has slipped down the slopes and on to marl or limestone bases.  The arable land in the Côte is very shallow but the vine roots will exploit cracks in the limestone to travel to great depths in search of nutrients and water.

Within the Côte-d'Or, Côte de Nuit (named for its largest town, Nuit-Saint-Georges) occupies the narrow strip of slopes that are to be found between Dijon and Corgoloin.  The area is 3.2 kilometers (2 miles) wide at its widest point and shrinks to between 200 and 300 meters in some places.  Lying as it does along the 47th parallel (a similar latitude as Minnesota), the sub-region struggles to consistently reward viticulturists with adequately ripened Pinot Noir.

The wines from Côte de Nuit are classified according to the location of the vines from which they were sourced.  The best vineyards in the region are situated mid-slope on the hills where the best soils, exposure, and drainage are to be found.  These mid-slope regions are home to 24 of the Burgundy Grand Cru climats.

The plots which have the the most issues with drainage and ripening are located at the lowest elevation on the slopes and it is from those plots that we derive the wines that are assigned Bourgogne regional labels.  In addition, wines can be produced in Côte de Nuit and be labeled Bourgogne Aligoté, Bourgogne Passe-tout-grains, and Crémant de Bourgogne.  In addition, the elevated slopes of 4 communes have been assigned an appellation (Bourgogne Hautes-Côte de Nuit) for the production of reds, whites, and rosés which have been tested and certified as meeting stipulated requirements.  In the case of the Côte de Nuit Village appellation, if the grapes are sourced from a single climat, the name of that climat is permitted to appear on the label.

Village and Premier Cru wines are sourced from grapes that are grown above and below the mid-slope position that is reserved for the Grand Crus. In the case of a Village appellation, the name of the origin village must appear on the label and if a Premier Cru, the name of the village must be followed by the words Premier Cru plus the name of the source climat.  It should be noted that the amount of land devoted to the production of white wines decline as we move up the quality level with only one Grand Cru choosing to allocate precious land to the production of Chardonnay grapes.

Knowing Burgundy requires knowing much more than the AOCs: it also requires knowledge of the really good producers -- those who will produce at the top of the class year in and year out -- and knowledge of the vintages.  And even then you are not guaranteed to have a great bottle of wine when you open it.  When you do open a great bottle of Burgundy, however, it is a wine-drinking experience second to none.  So here are the names of selected producers that should be a starting point for any journey into the wines of the Côte de Nuit:

• Faiveley
• Jayer-Gilles
• Leroy
• Meo Camuzet
• J. Grivet
• DRC
• Henry Jayer
• Rene Engel
• Mungeard-Mugneret
• Mugneret
• Jean Gros
• Jadot
• Drouhin
• Roumier
• J. Grivot
• Comte de Vogue
• Dujac
• Mugnier
• Ponsot

I will now shift my attention to reporting on the Stacole Burgundy tasting which I attended last week.


© Wine -- Mise en abyme