Meo-Camuzet Bourgogne Blanc St-Philibert Monopole 2017 (RP: 87-89)

Domaine Méo-Camuzet is a wine producer located in Vosne-Romanée in the Côte de Nuits. It produces some of the most celebrated wines from the Côte d'Or from a range of grand cru vineyards, including Richebourg, Clos de Vougeot, Corton and Echézeaux. Most of Méo-Camuzet's wines are made from Pinot Noir, and are known for their delicate aromatic concentration.
The founder of the estate was Etienne Camuzet, an early-20th Century politician based in Paris, who offered parts of his estate to a variety of sharecroppers to farm. Eventually, it came into the hands of Jean-Nicholas Méo in 1986, who realized that the extensive sharecropping meant that only a small portion of vines were under the domaine's control. He set out a long-term strategy to regain the plots from the sharecroppers who were currently working them, with the goal of eventually having estate-grown fruit and bottling under his own label, Méo-Camuzet.
One of these landholders was iconic Burgundy producer Henri Jayer. He had farmed the domaine's land to bottle under his own label for about 40 years. He retired in 1988 and helped to advise Jean-Nicholas on the reacquisition of his vines. Méo-Camuzet now has 14 hectares (35 acres) of vines, including a part of the Cros Parantoux Premier Cru site, which was made famous by Jayer.
Most of the vineyards are farmed as organically as possible, but Méo-Camuzet has chosen not to be certified, in order to be able to treat vines as the vintage dictates. Along with the grand cru wines, there are several wines made from premier cru vineyards along the Côte de Nuits, as well as a number of more generic village-level and Bourgogne wines.

Country of Origin:
Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits, France

Type:
White/Blanc (Still)

Grape Variety:
100% Chardonnay

Tasting Notes:
(Robert Parker's rating: 87-89 points)
The 2017 Hautes Côtes de Nuits Blanc Clos St. Philibert is attractive, unfurling in the glass with aromas of lemon oil, white flowers and a subtle touch of oak. On the palate, the wine is medium-bodied with tangy acids but a sun-kissed core of succulent fruit, the cool mesoclimate marrying well with the vintage's sunshine.