Chambolle-Musigny 2020
The wines of Chambolle-Musigny, located in the Côte de Nuits, are unique red wines that symbolize finesse and elegance…
Origin
This appellation is one of the smallest and most parcelled out of the Côte with only 97 ha of Village appellation vines, 50 ha of Premiers Crus and 25 ha of Grands Crus. The terroirs of Chambolle-Musigny are rather homogenous and enjoy eastern exposure. The delicate silkiness of its wines stems directly from the soil type. Parent rock composed of hard limestone forms the base, topped by a thin layer of Bathonian limestone gravel that ensures good drainage of the soil and contributes to the fine, sensual and charming character of these wines.
Our cuvée is a blend of four climates of the village: " Les Pas de Chats ", " Derrière le four ", " Le Clos de l'Orme " and " Les Danguerrins ". These are vines cultivated in organic viticulture not certified since 2009.
Viticulture
Grape variety: pinot noir
Soils: thin soil composed of small limestone gravel.
Orientation: East
Surface area under vine: 1.1431 ha
Pruning: Guyot & Cordon de Royat systems
Yield: 36 hL/ha
Average age of the vines: 47 years old.
Vinification
Harvest date: 7 September 2020.
The grapes were handpicked.
They were sorted a first time in the vineyard and again on the sorting table when they arrived at the winery.
At the winery: the grapes were 80% destemmed but not crushed (they were left whole) and were gravity-fed into tanks. Maceration with 20% of entire grapes lasted a total of 16 days including 5 days of cold maceration (12°C). Fermentation used indigenous yeasts only (no additives such as enzymes or tannins were used). 4 punchings of the cap. Vinification without sulfur.
Ageing
Maturation: aged on the lees for 11 months with no racking using a proportion of 33% new French oak barrels.
Barrels: French oak barrels that had been toasted at low temperatures for a long time for very delicate oaking.
Bottling
Bottling: The wine was gently filtered before being bottled at the end of September 2021.
Number of bottles: 2,794.
Vintage
Balanced and concentrated
The harvests happened back-to-front! They began with the reds ripening before the whites. The harvest was very disease-free but we had to eliminate sunburnt berries, especially in the case of the Pinot Noir vines as the Chardonnays had coped better with the heat. Quality was definitely good, but relatively low juice yields has resulted in Pinot Noirs with high colour and aromatic intensity. On the other hand, the Chardonnay vines produced adequate yields with a good balance of sugar and acidity. This optimal ripeness enabled us to harvest the red grapes in certain plots according to the ‘vendange entière’ approach, where stalks are fermented along with the grapes.
'Lots of lovely colour in the reds, with very high polyphenol content, firm tannins and excellent levels of acidity. Looks set to be a year with great cellaring potential. Summer fruit coulis notes definitely have the upper hand in this year’s vintage! The whites are nicely-balanced, but it’s too early to be more precise. Watch this space…’ Grégory Patriat.
Ageing potential: From 7 to 12 years.
Awards
Bourgogne Aujourd'hui Magazine - Spécial Millésime 2020 & 2021 - 16 / 20
Bourgogne Aujourd'hui Magazine - 16 / 20
Tasting notes
With a nice dark ruby color, this wine reveals a first nose slightly toasted then an intense bouquet of black fruits. The mouth is elegant with a nice minerality in the finish.
