Winemaker Notes
A high-fashion wine in the pure tradition of the appellation, elegant and delicate; filled with flavors of small red fruit, highlighted by a lovely finish with delicious tannins.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2023 Chambolle-Musigny Aux Beaux Bruns 1er Cru comes from a warm mesoclimate and was vinified with 80% whole bunch with the central stem removed. This has a clean, precise and focused bouquet with cranberry and wild strawberry fruit, hints of undergrowth manifesting with time in the glass. Taut and fresh, the palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, a core of sensual red berry fruit and lovely mineralité on the persistent finish. Quintessential Chambolle-Musigny.
Barrel Sample: 93-95 -
Jasper Morris
Made in pedicel fashion. Mid crimson to ruby, quite discreet on the nose, darker fruit with a slightly rougher edge though the black cherries are very attractive, especially in the very long finish.
Barrel Sample: 91-94
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2023 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Aux Beaux Bruns exhibits notes of sweet red berries, orange zest, spices and rose petals, followed by a medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy plate, concluding with a licorice-inflected finish. This early-ripening site has put in a strong performance this year.
Barrel Sample: 91-93
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
Chambolle-Musigny represents the charm of the Côte de Nuits district of Burgundy. But you’ll find that term mainly in reference to the vineyards in its southern stretches, which border Clos Vougeot: the Grand Cru of Le Musingy and in part, its neighboring and most exceptional Premier Cru, Les Amoureuses. Some producers argue for the primacy of Les Amoureuses and its eligibility for Grand Cru status given its wines can sometimes surpass other Grands Crus.
Le Musigny ranks on par with the most acclaimed Grands Crus for Pinot Noir: Romanée-Conti, La Tâche, Richebourg, Chambertin, and Chambertin-Clos de Bèze. It is also the only Grand Cru in Côte de Nuits for Chardonnay. All of the others are in Côte de Beaune.
This village can in fact claim only two Grands Crus vineyards and—in the context of breaking down the minutiae—they are markedly different. Bonnes-Mares, the other one at the far northern end above the village, bordering Morey-St-Denis, offers power, strength and great aging potential. But Chambolle-Musigny includes a nice handful of exceptional Premiers Crus, as noted above with Les Amoureuses as the finest. Le Fuees and Les Cras are other noteworthy Premiers Crus.
Overall, a top Chambolle-Musigny offers pure aromas of violets, dark cherry and damp earth, coupled with a velvety elegance, supple mid-palate, an abundance of black and red berry, and finesse and power through a long and fine-grained finish.