Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All VintagesWhiffs of fresh churned butter and honey introduce this powerfully ripe, sun-drenched Chardonnay. The fleshy, voluminous wine shows the heat of the 2019 vintage through concentrated flavors of Meyer lemon and Mirabelle plum. Matured in oak casks for 14 to 18 months (with some new oak), the opulent, spicy sip should drink at peak from 2024 to 2035.
A wine that brings real depth and intensity, the 2019 Beaune 1er Cru Clos Des Mouches Blanc offers up a light gold hue as well as a terrific nose of grilled peach, honeyed stone fruits, toasted spices, and a kiss of background wood. This medium-bodied, nicely concentrated, textured 2019 has terrific overall balance, integrated acidity, and a great finish. It certainly surpasses the 2017 (which was the last vintage I tasted) and has loads to love. It should keep for a decade, but there's no need to delay gratification.
Chanson’s domaine includes a five-acre parcel of chardonnay at Clos des Mouches, near the top of the hill where a layer of sand covers the limestone underneath. Everything about this wine is glossy and pale, from the scents of baked pear to the hazelnut echo of oak. There’s sweet lemon-curd richness with enough acidity to keep it structured. Cellar it for several years, at least, to coax the flavor out.
Founded in 1750, Chanson is one of the five grand "shippers" of Burgundy's Côte d'Or- an estate steeped in centuries-old tradition and rich in viticultural history. As a négociant (winemaker and merchant) and a domaine (vineyard estate), Chanson has represented the best of Burgundy for more than 250 years, growing its own grapes, partnering with other growers, bottling, selling, and shipping its own wines.
Chanson's holdings comprise some of Burgundy's most coveted vineyards. Located in the heart of the Côte de Beaune (the historical center of Burgundy) and surrounded by some of the greatest vineyards in the world, Chanson can count French philosophe Voltaire, romantic poet Lamartine, and the Bonaparte family among its clients.
Its celebrated bastion, a 15th-century fortress first rented and then acquired in 1794 to cellar the wines, is an internationally celebrated icon of Burgundy (the largest of six bastions that form part of the wall surrounding the city of Beaune).
To visit Chanson is to travel back in time and experience the magic of the 1000-year-old tradition of winemaking. Chanson still vinifies and cellars its wines in the bastion as it has for over 200 years. The 10-meter thick walls of this ancient fortress make it ideal for winemaking.
While the city represents the epicenter of wine production in Burgundy, the term, “Beaune” also refers to the specific sub-appellation of the greater Côte de Beaune, whose vineyards climb up the pastoral slopes that border the city to its west. Originally founded as a Roman camp by Julius Caesar, the city of Beaune eventually became the seat of the dukes of Burgundy until the 13th century. Today it is home to top négociants such as Louis Jadot, Joseph Drouhin, Louis Latour, and Bouchard Père et Fils.
The appellation, dominated by Pinot Noir plantings, represents a lovely and charming place to begin to understand red Burgundy. Its sandy soils create light and supple, floral driven Pinot Noir. These wines are designed to be enjoyed within five to 10 years. The vineyards of Beaune span a broad swath of Premier Crus from Savigny-lès-Beaune to its border with Pommard.
Chardonnay acreage here has been increasing here in the more recent years.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.