Meo-Camuzet Frere et Sours Fixin 1er Cru Clos du Chapitre 2013

Méo-Camuzet is one of the most storied names in all of Burgundy — a Vosne-Romanée domaine whose vineyards, including a slice of Richebourg, were vinified for decades by the legendary Henri Jayer before Jean-Nicolas Méo took over winemaking himself in 1989. Alongside the family's grand estate, Jean-Nicolas and his siblings also run Méo-Camuzet Frère et Sœurs, a négociant label that lets them apply exactly the same meticulous standards to fruit sourced from trusted growers across Burgundy's less fashionable corners. This Fixin comes from Clos du Chapitre, a Premier Cru site immediately north of Gevrey-Chambertin — a village that critics have long argued receives far less attention than it deserves, sitting right next to Clos de la Perrière, a vineyard once touted in the nineteenth century as the equal of Chambertin itself. The plot's naturally low yields and small berries give the wine real concentration, and Méo's team ages it with a deft, restrained touch of new oak.

The result consistently punches above its Premier Cru, let alone its village, station: cassis, dark plum, and woodsmoke meet black raspberry, dark soil tones, espresso, and a lift of violet, with critics repeatedly praising its purity and forward, generous style. The palate is medium-to-full-bodied and layered, with soft, ripe tannins and a penetrating, genuinely complex finish that belies its relatively modest price point within the broader Méo-Camuzet portfolio. It's approachable earlier than many Côte de Nuits reds, though it holds real ageing potential too. Pour it with braised beef, duck, or a rustic game dish — this is a rare chance to taste Méo-Camuzet's exacting hand applied to one of Burgundy's most underrated appellations.