2017 Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits Blanc, Clos Saint-Philibert, Domaine Méo-Camuzet, Burgundy
About this WINE
Meo-Camuzet
Méo-Camuzet is one of the most renowned estates in Burgundy today. Until 1988, its holdings were leased out to other vignerons who share-cropped the land; much of the wine was sold in bulk.
Jean-Nicolas Méo’s arrival at the domaine in ’89 signalled a change in direction at the property, with more wines being estate-bottled. Since 2007, everything has been kept by the domaine.
Méo-Camuzet has Grands Crus sites along with of some of the finest Premier Cru vineyards of Nuits-St-Georges and Vosne-Romanée.
In addition to these wonderful holdings, Jean-Nicolas has established a high-quality négociant business – Méo-Camuzet Frère & Soeurs – buying fruit from trusted growers across the Côte. Vineyard work is overseen by the team at Méo-Camuzet; the wines are of the same excellent quality as those of the domaine.
Nuits-Saint Georges
Originally known as Nuits, or even Nuits-sous-Beaune, the town was happy to add the name of its finest vineyard, Les St Georges, in the 19th century. There are no Grands Crus, but many fine Premier Cru vineyards, the mayor of the time – Henri Gouges – preferring not to single out any vineyard for the highest status.
The wines of Nuits-St Georges vary according to their exact provenance. Those of the hamlet of Prémeaux, considered to be part of Nuits-St Georges for viticultural purposes, are often on the lighter side.The richest and most sought-after are those just south of Nuits-St Georges such as Les Vaucrains, Les Cailles and Les St Georges itself. The third sector, including Les Murgers, Les Damodes and Les Boudots are at the Vosne-Romanée end of the village, and demonstrate some of the extra finesse associated with Vosne.
Several domaines (Gouges, Rion, Arlot) now produce a white Nuits-St Georges from Pinot Blanc or Chardonnay.
- 175 hectares of village Nuits-St Georges
- 143 hectares of Premier Cru vineyards (20 in all). Best vineyards include Les St Georges, and Clos des Argillières and Clos de la Maréchale in Prémeaux
- Recommended producers: Gouges, Rion, Liger Belair, Potel
- Recommended restaurant : La Cabotte (small but stylish)
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is often seen as the king of white wine grapes and one of the most widely planted in the world It is suited to a wide variety of soils, though it excels in soils with a high limestone content as found in Champagne, Chablis, and the Côte D`Or.
Burgundy is Chardonnay's spiritual home and the best White Burgundies are dry, rich, honeyed wines with marvellous poise, elegance and balance. They are unquestionably the finest dry white wines in the world. Chardonnay plays a crucial role in the Champagne blend, providing structure and finesse, and is the sole grape in Blanc de Blancs.
It is quantitatively important in California and Australia, is widely planted in Chile and South Africa, and is the second most widely planted grape in New Zealand. In warm climates Chardonnay has a tendency to develop very high sugar levels during the final stages of ripening and this can occur at the expense of acidity. Late picking is a common problem and can result in blowsy and flabby wines that lack structure and definition.
Recently in the New World, we have seen a move towards more elegant, better- balanced and less oak-driven Chardonnays, and this is to be welcomed.
Buying options
Add to wishlist
Description
This wine is somewhat totemic for the domaine, made from a vineyard planted by Jean-Nicolas in the early 1990s. The vines are situated at 400 metres’ altitude above Clos de Vougeot, on very shallow, rocky topsoil which had to be broken up in places to plant the vines. There is around five percent Pinot Blanc, with the remainder being Chardonnay. Fermented and aged in oak (around 10 percent of which is new), this is intensely fruity, but with real freshness at the back. Drink 2020-2024.
Jean-Nicolas describes 2017 as a pretty vintage, with excellent approachability and drinkability at every level, with wines higher up the quality scale offering more complexity and some really serious ageing potential. Picking began on the 6th September in good conditions, and while there was a little rain towards the end, this did not have any impact on quality. The 2017 vintage was the final year under Vineyard Manager Christian Faurois, son and nephew of some of the original MéoCamuzet sharecroppers, who shared his passion for the vineyards with Jean-Nicolas and retired in May 2018. Our notes indicate whether each of the wines is a domaine or négoce bottling.
wine at a glance
Delivery and quality guarantee