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95-97 NM.
"The 2019 Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru is quite closed on the nose, offering discreet blackberry, raspberry and light violet aromas that you might mistake for a Vosne-Romanée. The palate is medium-bodied with succulent ripe tannins. This is a juicy Clos de Vougeot, a little savory and quite peppery on the finish, which you might misconstrue as a result of some stem addition. Sculpted with Jean-Nicolas Méo's finest chisel, this is a wonderful Clos de Vougeot. As usual, Jean-Nicolas Méo was on hand to guide me through practically the entirety of his 2019s from the domaine and négoce side of their operation. Méo pointed out, they have complete viticulture and winemaking control on the cuvées. I commenced with a couple of whites. ‘The Chardonnay was extremely ripe in 2019,’ Méo remarked. ‘I had to harvest the Clos St. Philibert during the red harvest instead of afterwards as I usually do. I was watching the Chardonnay all the time. It was only in the ten days days before picking that I realised how the ripeness was accelerating.’ We then broached the series of reds. ‘We harvested a week before we expected, commencing on 13 September. The extraction was quicker and better than the previous year and after the five-day cold soak the colour of the juice was already black. We had the acidity right at the beginning. The alcohol levels are around 14.0°, which is high, with a couple of cuvées at 14.5° and 14.6°. I would have preferred them to be a bit lower though some are around 13.2°. Until I tasted the 2019s after the 2020 harvest, I did not know how the wines would show but I find they express the terroir and they are less super-ripe than anticipated. I think it is superior to 2018 due to the 2019s greater structure and better acidity levels. They are not as light as they might be, but the aromatics are very attractive and I don’t feel they are too heavy or over-the-top. I would rate it a bit below 2015, but vintages like this are difficult to predict. It might evolve like 2009 and then we will have a great vintage. Or they could shut down.’ This was an impressive set of 2019s crowned by the usual suspects, Cros Parantoux, Richebourg and Premier Crus such as a show-stopping Aux Brûlées. Do not ignore one of a number of outstanding Clos Vougeot in 2019 and a noble Nuits Saint-Georges Les Murgers (I would draw your attention to a heavenly 1959 poured by Méo at a La Paulée almost a year earlier that I included in my 1959 article on Vinous." Neal Martin, Vinous.com, Oct 2020 |