2003 Crozes Hermitage Les Meysonniers

Good ruby-red. Cooler than the Petite Ruche but still very ripe on the nose, with aromas of blackberry liqueur and licorice. Sweeter and more minerally, though not especially exuberant today. In fact, this is a bit brutal and in need of further elevage Finishes with substantial tannins.

The deep ruby-colored 2003 Crozes-Hermitage Les Meysonniers, cropped at 20 hectoliters per hectare, offers plum, currant, and tapenade aromas. This medium-bodied, elegant Crozes is ideal for drinking over the next 7-8 years. As I have said so many times over the last 15 years, the top Chapoutier wines are meant for very long term drinking, and are not designed for immediate gratification. Everything Chapoutier is doing, from his bio-dynamically farmed vineyard to tiny yields, extended fermentations, indigenous yeasts, and no fining or filtration, is done to produce the essence of a vineyard and a vintage. His track record since 1989 and 1990 admirably proves that these are indeed remarkable wines made by a young genius who refuses to compromise. Michel Chapoutier has been misunderstood by some of his peers, and there is a lot of jealousy when someone this young is so incredibly talented, but it is an irrefutable fact that these are wines of singular greatness as well as longevity. Importer: Paterno Imports, Lake Bluff, IL; tel. (847) 604-8900