Winemaker Notes
This is one of the quartet of vineyards within the Barthod holdings that encircle the great Bonnes Mares cru. Ghislaine Barthod has an important holding of 0.86 hectare that produces perhaps the most structured wine in the cellar.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2005 Chambolle-Musigny Les Cras was slightly reduced and required a good shaking, but then ...! Aromas of black raspberry jam and high-toned suggestions of black tea, iris, and marzipan in the nose usher in a terrifically sweet, rich palate with jam and honey wreathed in flowers and reinforced by a sounding board of chalk. A long, lush, finish features continued sweet florality and confiture of black raspberry, with counterpoint from chalk dust and white pepper. For all of its richness, make no mistake: there is an underlying abundance of ultra-fine tannin more than sufficient to help see this through at least 12-15 years of exciting evolution.
Rating: 94-95 -
Jasper Morris
A vigorous red to crimson nose is backed by a youthful bouquet suggestive of some tannins - just a couple of leathery notes in amongst the undoubted red fruit. Actually there is quite dark red fruit, still offering some floral qualities alongside. Firm and powerful but the fruit is abundant and the tannins, while still requiring a while yet to integrate fully, do not dominate awkwardly.
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.