A fine success, the 2020 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Cras (Méo-Camuzet Frère & Soeurs) exhibits aromas of raspberries and cherries mingled with rose petals and loamy soil. Medium to full-bodied, lively and concentrated, it's taut and mouthwatering, with fine depth at the core and powdery structuring tannins.

The 2015 Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru Les Cras, which includes around 15% stem addition, was showing a slight reduction on the nose, underneath dark berry, raspberry coulis and a touch of dried fig. The palate is medium-bodied but the oak needs to be more subsumed into the fruit - it sticks out a little here and dominates the finish. Hopefully it will knit together during the remainder of its élevage. I simply may have caught this on a bad day.

The 2014 Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru les Cras has a tightly wound, quite stony, slightly austere bouquet. The palate has a chalky entry and a firm backbone, slightly dry tannin but with good weight on the finish. It will hopefully develop a little more flesh with continued barrel aging. Granted, it is cohesive and long, but I would like more Chambolle character to come through.

The 2012 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Cras is a negociant wine, but Jean-Nicolas informed me that the domaine manages the vineyard entirely. This was harvested within the first two days. It has a pleasing pomegranate and wild strawberry scented bouquet that is well-defined, almost Vosne-like in style. The palate is well structured with crisp, tensile tannins, plenty of red berry fruit but it just needs a little more presence towards the finish. That might manifest during the elevage. Quite stylish, though I might drink this perhaps in the first six or seven years after bottling. Domaine Meo-Camuzet boasts one of the most enviable portfolios in Vosne-Romanee, crowned by Richebourg Grand Cru and Cros Parantoux, the latter essentially grand cru in all but name thanks to the late Henri Jayer, who decided that vines might profit more from the land than a few veg. I have been following the wines for over a decade and visiting Jean-Nicolas Meo’s cellar just down the road from Bernard Gros. Together we tasted through both his negociant and domaine bottlings, partly from pre-prepared samples and others directly from barrel. He told me he had been surprised at the changes in pH post-malo-lactic fermentation, possibly due to a precipitation of potassium that had made the wines feel rounder. Certainly some of the cuvees did have a certain “sumptuousness” about them, but for the most part that tannins were present and correct, lending backbone to offset the occasionally intense fruit. Readers should note that I took a video of Jean-Nicolas discussing the vintage in his cellars, so please access this for further insight. Importer: Kermit Lynch, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 524-1524