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Richebourg 2013 75cl

AOC Grand Cru | Côte de Nuits | Burgundy | France
CHF 2’043.10
Critics scores
95 Robert Parker
The 2013 Richebourg Grand Cru has a very expressive bouquet, perhaps more so than the Cros Parantoux at this primordial stage: a mixture of red and black fruit, bay and Earl Grey, later accompanied by rose-petal aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with fleshy ripe red berry fruit intermingling with mint and sage, gradually building to a suave, minerally finish. This is an excellent Richebourg for the vintage, although I would be hedging my bets on the Cros Parantoux this year.<br/>Jean-Nicolas was away in Korea when I visited his domaine, a sign of how the popularity of Burgundy is now global (I did not inquire whether it was North or South.) So his assistant winemaker kindly escorted me through their portfolio (négoçiant and domaine) and the same leitmotifs of the 2013s were discussed: the high levels of malic acid and the need to chaptalize. The harvest here commenced on October 2 and finished around ten days later. Unlike others such as Cécile Tremblay, they did not eschew pigeage completely, and conducted around four or five to extract color and tannins. As usual, the malolactics were very late and in fact, one or two of them were still continuing, which explains a couple of omissions in my notes. Apparently, they showed plenty of reduction since the wines was unable to be racked and therefore work in the cellar during the second winter is important. This address consistently produces excellent wines, though I found the 2013s a little more difficult to get a handle on vis-à-vis other growers. Of the two “jewels," I just have a preference for their Cros Parantoux over their Richebourg, the former displaying exceptional delineation, razor-sharp tannins and an unfathomable depth that riveted you to the spot, whereas the latter was broad-shouldered, regal but less opaque. Elsewhere, the wines felt just a little disjointed at this early stage and need to knit together their constituent parts by the time of bottling next year<br/>
Producer
Domaine Méo-Camuzet
One of the great estates of Vosne-Romanée, Domaine Méo-Camuzet was founded at the beginning of the 20th century by Étienne Camuzet, a member of the French parliament for the Côte d'Or from 1902 to 1932. He selected and bought vineyards which were of particular interest to him, as well as the extraordinary Château de Clos de Vougeot (he was the last single owner before donating it to the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin). His holdings were passed down to his daughter, Maria Noirot, and then later to a more distant relative, Jean Méo, in 1959. Like many domaines at the time, the vineyards were looked after by sharecroppers (métayeurs) and the wine was sold off in bulk to négociants. The domaine did not start bottling its own wine until 1985 and when Jean's son, Jean-Nicolas, arrived in 1989, the domaine had truly begun to transform. Henri Jayer, one of Burgundy's most inimitable personalities, will be forever linked to Méo-Camuzet. He remained one of the long-term sharecroppers until his first retirement in 1988. After this, he continued to advise the domaine for many more years. They have an impressive range of wines made from 25 different appellations, including both their domaine wines as well as a négociant label sold under the name Méo-Camuzet Frères & Soeurs.