Winemaker Notes
This wine shows a deep purple color and opens with an aroma dominated by dark red cherry. On the palate, it is intense and fresh, with good acidity and excellent balance, revealing dense layers of textures and flavors.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Sentiers is on the border with Morey and shares some of its character. According to Nicolas Groffier, just 40cm of iron-rich clay covers the limestone here. He ferments the wine completely as whole clusters and ages it in cask (one-third new). The finished wine has a deep fig and plum fruit with hints of earth, iron, and tar. The texture is firmly tannic but leavened by the finesse of Chambolle. The overall result is impressive, if a bit fearsome at present – let this settle for five to seven years before opening for best results.
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Jasper Morris
35% new wood, 90% whole bunches. A bright plump purple colour. Lively fruit suggesting some iron in the soil. Nicolas tells me there is lots in the lower part of the vineyard. Perhaps he could make his upper and lower parts separately, sand v iron rich clay? Fresh acidity behind, after red fruit, strawberry, with a blood orange nose.Barrel Sample: (91-94)
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.