We’re grateful to Tardy’s importer and to the author of this extensive Forbes article about Méo-Camuzet’s “Clos de Vougeot,” for helping us unravel the story behind this exceptional bottle. The Tardy wine legacy started with Guillaume’s grandfather, Victor, who, in the 1920s, found a job as a vineyard worker at Méo-Camuzet—where he remained for 25 years. For his hard work and dedication, Etienne Camuzet offered Victor some of his vineyard sites for sharecropping; he gladly accepted. Victor’s son, Jean, assumed control in 1966 and, because of such a time-honored relationship, Méo-Camuzet shared another batch of elite vines—most notably, those that produced fruit for today’s 2002 Grand Cru Clos de Vougeot. Sadly, this agreement came to an end in 2007, so there aren’t many more ‘insider’ bottles like this remaining in the world! 

In 2002, Jean Tardy hand-tended this small parcel of mid-19th-century vines while applying natural composts and avoiding chemicals. Once the grapes were harvested, Jean-Nicolas Méo took over the winemaking controls. The resulting wine aged in mostly new French oak and was bottled without filtration. Méo-Camuzet’s—er, rather, Jean Tardy’s 2002 Clos de Vougeot is simply an amazing Grand Cru feat. I surprised our Board of Directors with this at a recent dinner and they were floored by its depth and elegance—there is so much finessed power and perfume packed into this wine! After a brief decant, it revealed a vibrant savoriness underpinned by various baking spices and forested underbrush. Drop-dead gorgeous aromas of dried black cherry, tea leaves, currants, red plums, wild berries, and mushroom stock bursted out of the glass and wafted along the table for hours. Really, how often do you get to drink a world-class Grand Cru Burgundy that has entered peak maturity? Its tannins are ultra-smooth; its weight nearly ethereal; and its lengthy finish is populated with crushed minerality and savory, red-tinged fruits. Serve around 65 degrees in large Burgundy stems and bring along a few of your favorite friends for this memory-forming experience. It’ll put the room in a stupor—that we can guarantee! If you’re lucky enough to buy more than one, be sure to save the remaining bottle because there is well over a decade left in this royal beauty! Cheers!