Revisiting An Encounter From My Early Wine Life

The wine we’ll taste today is the 2023 M. Chapoutier Les Meysonniers. It is a 100% Syrah wine from the northern Rhône Valley. I have a real weakness for Syrah, and for the wines of the Rhône in general. Syrah is the only red grape permitted for use in the Crozes-Hermitage appellation.

Who is the "M" of M. Chapoutier? There have been several, and they just keep coming. Marius, Marc, Michel, Mathilde and Maxime have all made their mark on the Chapoutier brand in one way or another. When I first became serious about wine, Chapoutier was one of the names I was first acquainted with, and I am happy to revisit it now and then.

Les Meysonniers was vinified in concrete vats, and 90% of the wine was aged in them. The remainder was aged 12 months in barrels. Alcohol sits rather low at 12.5% abv and it sells for about $20, maybe less. 

This wine has a medium-dark ruby color in the glass. The nose is what I always look forward to in a Syrah. The big cassis note, the faint earth note, the slight herbal note. The combination of mint, eucalyptus, dirt, and funk provides the perfect backdrop to that dark purple juice. The palate is as big and bold as one might expect, maybe bigger and bolder. Dark fruit flavors are buried in a savory mound of earth and herb. The tannins are firm. I’m going to make a rib eye steak before this bottle becomes empty. 

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