Winemaker Notes
This wine displays a brilliant ruby color and offers saturated aromas of pomegranate, earth, plum, and violets. On the palate, fresh plum and bright pomegranate flavors are complemented by pronounced minerality, delivering a focused, medium-bodied wine with great intensity on the finish.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Nicolas Groffier describes his hectare of Haut Doix as 'very luminous but not very warm'; he notes that they picked early here in 2022 (27 August) and brought the grapes in at 13% potential alcohol; they were fermented as 50% whole clusters and are ageing in cask (one-third new). His precautions resulted in a perfumed and elegant wine with ripe mulberry and pomegranate fruit, floral notes, and a lush sweetness on the palate that is very attractive.
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Jasper Morris
35% new wood, 50% whole bunch. The first to be picked reflecting the sandy soil here. A fresh vivid purple. Fresh white pepper on the nose. There is a herbaceous touch which I must say I really rather like but will not be for everyone. Mixed ripeness perhaps is what gives a sense of complexity. A long keeper for Nicolas. Some firmer elements rather than a softer rounder version. 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.