2007 Corton Clos Rognet Grand Cru

x000D Jean-Nicolas Meo believes that the 2008s have a classic structure and should age very well, and he pointed out that even though the acids remained high after the malos and the pHs lower than usual, the wines taste less acidic than the analysis suggests. Acids and pHs were comparable at harvest time to those of vintage 1996, he added, but 2008 was a bit higher in sugar and the crop level was lower, although strict sorting was needed to eliminate rotten and underripe grapes. (Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA; also represented by Domaines & Saveurs/Jeanne-Marie de Champs, imported by Frederick Wildman & Sons, New York, NY and Boston Wine Company, Somerville, MA)

According to Jean-Nicolas Meo, "the 2007s were clean, fruity and forward from the beginning. They'll be pretty, charming wines." The pHs were a bit higher than average and the malos mostly finished quite early here. Meo believes that the summer rains had the effect of "dissolving the tartaric acidity and bringing up the level of potassium." Meo compared the new set of wines to the 2000s and 1992s but believes that the '07s have put on weight in recent months. I found them quite shy at the beginning of November, perhaps due to SO2 temporarily blocking their texture and flesh. "Our enologist advised us to use more sulfur dioxide due to his fear of brett owing to the high pHs," Meo explained. "This hardened the wines at the beginning-gave them a lean quality-but they're getting better as they absorb the sulfur." In contrast, Meo went on, "the '06s are well-balanced but more structured wines. They have more size but they're also a bit harsh today." Based on the bottlings I tasted, they have turned out splendidly. Meo's negociant wines had been racked for the second time a couple weeks before my visit, but the estate wines had only been racked once, just before the 2008 harvest. (Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA; also represented by Domaines & Saveurs/Jeanne-Marie de Champs, imported by Frederick Wildman & Sons, New York, NY and Boston Wine Company, Somerville, MA)