Chambolle-Musigny and Bonnes-Mares Dinner Recap

Edouard Bourgeois
January 30, 2024

We hosted a memorable dinner at Charlie Bird and I would say that if Burgundy typically offers many surprises and some occasional disappointments, all the wines served that night delivered what I expected. My notes below:

Domaine Hudelot-Baillet, Chambolle-Musigny Vieilles Vignes 2017

Founded in 1981, the domaine now owns a total of 9 hectares. Dominique Le Guen, the son in law who joined the winery in 1998 and took over in 2002 to finally make his  first vintage in 2004, has made wonders. Dominique went on a mission right away to produce the best fruit possible, changed the labels to make his mark, and switched to producing wines exclusively from estate fruit. This is one domaine to continue to follow closely.

The wine was excellent - while still young. A perfect way to start with a fresh and clean expression of Pinot.

Meo-Camuzet, Chambolle Musigny 2017

For those who were lucky to attend the Meo-Camuzet dinner at Gramercy Tavern, this same wine was served and we were happy to open another bottle at Charlie Bird. The freshness of 2017 once again was the main characteristic in this elegant wine. I found a touch more rusticity than with the Hudelot-Baillet though, which makes me think the Meo should age a bit longer to finds its full expression.

Domaine Hudelot-Baillet, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Cras 2017

Back to Hudelot-Baillet, Les Cras, also village level above the Premier Cru, performed really well and as expected delivered a bit more depth than the Vieilles Vignes, bravo again!

Louis Jadot, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Fuees 2017

Adjacent to Les Cras, closer to Bonnes-Mares, Fuees is a stony climat and a wonderful site in Chambolle. Combined with the vivid character of 2017, it made for a grear crescendo to announce the following bottles.

Domaine David Duband, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Sentiers 2013 MAGNUM

Domaine David Duband was founded in 1991 and quickly made it a signature to use whole cluster in the winemaking. Interestingly, David doesn’t adjust the proportion of whole cluster according to the vintage but according to the site. This 1er Cru saw 80% of whole cluster. When David started, he patiently purchased key vineyards in great climats such as this “Sentiers” in 2006 from the celebrated Jacky Truchot estate. Sentiers is located just below Bonnes-Mares and adjacent to Morey-Saint-Denis.

He later purchased two Grand Cru sites in 2009 (Chambertin and Latricieres Chambertin)

I was a bit disappointed with the greenness in the wine and I felt that the whole cluster winemaking lacked subtlety. This being said, the elegance of Chambolle shone through.

Domaine Fourrier, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Sentiers 2013 MAGNUM

This wine was bottled exclusively in magnums for the American market as requested by importer Neal Rosenthal. Jean-Marie Fourrier, in charge since 1994, had once worked with the one and only Henri Jayer. Although he learned from the master, Jean-Marie kept an open mind, for example when it comes to using whole cluster in varied proportion, a practice eschewed by Jayer.

In comparison to the Duband, Fourrier made a “Sentiers” wine with more flesh. I am a fan of Jean-Marie’s wines as I often find a great quality of fruit in them. Plush and sexy, Fourrier is great at revealing the bouquet of Pinot Noir in its full spectrum, with a signature note of generous ripe cherries.

Domaine Comte Georges de Vogue, Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru 2008

When we speak about de Vogue, I always like to remind the audience of a few numbers. With its rich history of half a millenium, the domaine has accumulated a large estate, and today owns 2.7 hectares in Bonnes-Mares, all in Chambolle-Musigny. The most impressive number certainly being their ownership of 80% of the entire Grand Cru of Musigny.

This Bonnes-Mares, planted with 29 year old vines and destemmed with 40% new oak, was made by Francois Millet, the winemaker at de Vogue from 1986 until 2020!

I will say that 2008 is generally “hard to love” in Burgundy. It was such a bizarre year with tricky weather conditions that I am having a hard time describing the vintage as a whole. I found this bottle to be a bit awkward and tannic. However, aeration, as often with wines from de Vogue, helped greatly, releasing a certain stiffness in the wine.

Domaine Comte Georges de Vogue, Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru 1995

The same tannic profile was felt but I liked the dark fruit notes in this 1995. Blackberry and ripe cherries, laced with an animal character, were the surprising descriptors for this Chambolle!

Louis Jadot, Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru 1990

Founded in 1859, Jadot today is led by the expert hand of winemaker Frederic Barnier. 1990 was made by a different winemaker though, Jacques Lardiere, who has been a important voice in the region and influenced many of his peers.

This 1990 showed its age more than I had hoped. It was however still compelling to taste a thirty plus year old wine and this bottle still had many things to say, like a wise grandmother knitting by the fireplace.

Joseph Drouhin, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses 2009

Founded in 1880, Drouhin is a well established negociant based in Beaune. Their impressive holding of 100 hectares is supplemented by vineyards farmed by long term contractors, who also work biodynamically. Organic since the 1980’s with a biodynamic conversion in the 1990’s, Drouhin is a very reliable name across the board, from entry level regional appellations all the way to the most prestigious Grands Crus one can find. Amouresues is one of these 1ers Crus that many aficionados (me included) consider “baby Grand Cru”. I love the anecdote from Véronique Drouhin around the name Amoureuses. According to her, Amoureuses (lovers in English) came about when vineyard workers noticed the clay being particularly sticky on a damp day in the vineyard. This would result in heavy chunks of clay sticking, or hugging one’s boots, reminding of a lover’s embrace. I can tell this is true because I did experience that when I visited Véronique’s parcel in this beautiful corner above the Petits Vougeots with the Chateau de Clos Vougeot nearby. Such a magical site…

This 2009 displayed the perfume one would expect from such a warm year, with power, glycerol and a powerful finish. Although I would certainly be perfectly content drinking this wine by itself, I am sure the Saint-Nectaire cheese was a great companion to tame the big voice of 2009.

Joseph Drouhin, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses 2000

Amoureuses 2000 was highly anticipated as one of the best wines of the night and it didn’t disappoint. 2000 was a hit at Drouhin, as I recall a jaw-dropping bottle I drank a couple years ago of Griotte Chambertin from that vintage. The Amoureuses here was my favorite wine of the night. It started showing discreet signs of evolution, entering a captivating secondary aromatic profile suggesting fading rose and damp earth, with the beginning of a complex spice character. What I particularly enjoyed was the texture, this signature velvet of Chambolle. What a magnificent, elegant wine. The kind of bottle that reminds you why Burgundy is so special.

Domaine Roumier, Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru 2015

Is it still necessary to introduce Roumier? Probably not. But just in case, here is a quick reminder of the history of the heralded Chambolle producer. The domaine as we know it was founded in 1924 by Georges Roumier, who started estate bottling in 1945. His son Jean-Marie joined forces before welcoming his son, the current winemaker Christophe, in 1981. The pair worked together until Christophe became fully in charge with his first solo vintage, the loaded 1990. Roumier’s parcel of Amoureuses is famously located on two types of soils, one containing more clay (Terres Rouges) and the other containing more calcareous limestone (Terres Blanches) at the top of Bonnes Mares. The two plots are vinified separately then blended.

I adored the 2015. I am always impressed by how Christophe manages to make wines so aromatically precise while everything falls perfectly in place. Nothing sticks out, the palate starts with a delicious, juicy fruit, extremely pure. The nature of 2015 is showing its forceful character. But the magic of Roumier appears in the mid-palate when the lively acidity builds up in a crescendo to lift the wine all the way to the long finish while exploding with subtle notes of violet, forest floor and raspberry. What a mesmerizing spectacle.

Domaine Roumier, Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru 2013

The nose was more discreet and a touch greener than 2015 but absolutely lovely. The same lip-smacking acidity was irresistible and confirmed the exceptional character of both the producer and the climat.

News from the Vineyard - Domaine Comte George de Vogüé

New blood at Legendary Domaine Comte George de Vogüé

Jean Lupatelli

October 6, 2022
Edouard Bourgeois

With 7.2 ha holdings in Grand Cru Musigny, the de Vogüé plots in Musigny account for 70% of this legendary vineyard, producing one of the most elegant and profound wines of the Cote d’Or. With their seven lieux-dits within Musigny, De Vogüé makes the most complete picture of this prestigious appellation. However, the winemaking style, reviewed further, is the other essential piece to understand Musigny. The rest of Musigny is divided between 10 owners, some of them just lucky to farm a skinny sliver of land, such as Domaine Georges Roumier. Usually around one barrel, and almost two in 2022, Christophe Roumier’s Musigny is as outstanding and refined as it is rare.

The de Vogüé domaine dates back to the 15th century, even though the name de Vogüé first entered the Burgundy history in 1766. The domaine has been under the same ownership for 20 generations, which is very unique even by Burgundy standards. Indeed, most domaines have been established after the revolution in 1789.

Francois Millet has been making famous wines there starting with the 1988 vintage, 2020 being his last. It is now Jean Lupatelli, who formerly worked in the Rhône at Domaine Pierre-Jean Villa, who oversees winemaking at the legendary Chambolle-Musigny domaine, groundbreaking news in the world of wine. Often in Burgundy, change is slow and progressive. The next generation typically spends time learning from the older and succession is a smooth transition. From what Raj, Daniel and I understood when visiting de Vogüé and tasting with M. Lupatelli, he didn’t spend much time working alongside his predecessor and quickly gained the full authority of winemaking, with the crucial support of Eric Bourgogne, the vineyard manager who joined the domaine in 1996. With the challenging 2021 vintage as his first in Chambolle, Jean Lupatelli seems to be on a mission to modernize the domaine. For example, he introduced a new way to manage the harvest that involves small plastic baskets and quicker transportation of the grapes from the vineyards to the fermenters to avoid bruising the grapes and to limit unwanted maceration. Sorting is also very much on Jean’s radar but what appears to be the main update is the use of whole clusters, a practice we are now seeing more often in Burgundy. If in the past, the entire harvest was destemmed at de Vogüé, starting with 2021, up to 50% of the grapes were left whole in the vats. That was the case for the Chambolle-Musigny 1er cru, a wine made entirely from young vines of Musigny Grand Cru. By young vines, the domaine means under 25 years old, which is not so young! Between 2021 being a tiny crop and the fact that these vines are getting older, only two barrels of Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru were made that year, and it tasted lovely out of the barrel.

We were lucky to taste the whole range of 2021, from the Chambolle-Musigny village to the iconic Musigny, all from barrel.

2021 was a challenging year in Burgundy. Mother Nature really threw a curved ball, starting with too much rain and unforgiving snow. The most problematic was a devastating episode of frost that some recalled seeing last in the historic frosts of 1956 across Europe. 2021 was then marked by tiny yields of what seemed a pretty thin wine at first. However I found much charm in the wines I tasted from barrel at diverse domaines such as Vincent Dancer, Henri Boillot, Ghislaine Barthod and Georges Roumier. The overused term “classic” really finds its meaning to describe 2021. I guess we got used to warmer temperature, making wines with deep colours (2020 is a great example) and high alcohol levels. 2021 is more subtle but the fruit can be quite lovely with aromas reminiscent of small red berries rather than the ripe black cherry flavor profile of 2020 or 2019.

We tasted the more dense and robust Bonnes-Mares, a Grand Cru appellation mostly in Chambolle-Musigny but also in the neighboring commune of Morey-St-Denis. The appellation is also known for its two distinct soils with the “terres blanches” at the top of the slope where limestone prevails; the “terres rouges” has a generous amount of clay. The Bonnes Mares 2021 showed the expected power that appellation suggests, even if 2021 is considered a light vintage. In fact, we also tasted a 2020 made by Francois Millet which was massive in terms of color and strength. The Musigny 2020 clearly had a noble and perfumed signature - nevertheless, a big wine.

I have always thought the de Vogüé wines were a bit hard, austere with firm tannins that didn’t quite let the delicate Chambolle bouquet sing. I am excited to see what the future will bring for the domaine with a new winemaker and his new approach. This is no small responsibility when you own the vast majority of Musigny.

Will this old cute pump survive?