2012 Richebourg Grand Cru

I was deeply impressed with the wines I tasted at Méo-Camuzet this year. In particular, these are some of the most intense, mineral-driven 2012s I came across. According to winemaker Peer Reiss malos were very long and in some cases did not finish until November 2013, which is very late, even by the standards of a vintage in which malos were slow to finish in many cellars. While these 2012s are gorgeous across the board, I don't expect too many of the domaine bottlings to be ready to drink anytime soon.

The crop level in 2012 was small but not catastrophic, said Jean-Nicolas Meo. "Whatever we had at the flowering we didn't lose afterwards. There was no loss from mildew or oidium and due to the nice September weather there was no botrytis, thanks also to the small berries and loose clusters. There was some rain during the harvest [Meo started picking his Corton on September 19, and the Cote de Nuits on the 21st] but the grapes seemed immune." There was a wide range of pHs after the malos, which Meo attributed to the precipitation of potassium, and the young 2012s struck me as rather charming wines that would be approachable early. With a few notable exceptions Meo's domain wines show the delicate, precise, earlier-picked side of 2012. He chaptalized his wines about a half-degree except where potential alcohol levels had reached a natural 13%. The 2012s had all been racked by the time of my visit, the crus just prior to the 2013 harvest. (Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, www.kermitlynch.com; also represented by Domaines & Saveurs/Jeanne-Marie de Champs; importers include Frederick Wildman & Sons, www.frederickwildman.com)