Chambolle-Musigny
1er Cru Les Charmes 2013
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.
This term 'Charmes' is used in Burgundy to designate poor vegetation plateaux, uncultivated or fallow land.Formerly there were many plots not worked by their owner because they were very stony and difficult to cultivate.
Viticulture
Grape variety: pinot noir
Soils: very stony and very thin limestone soil.
Orientation: East
Pruning: Guyot system
Average age of the vines: 50 years old.
Vinification
Harvest date: 8 October 2013.
The grapes were handpicked. They were sorted a first time in the vineyard and a second time on the sorting table when they arrived at the winery.
At the winery: The grapes were 50% destemmed, 50% left whole and were gravity-fed into tanks. Maceration lasted a total of 21 days including one week of cold maceration (12°C). Fermentation used indigenous yeasts only (no additives such as enzymes or tannins were used). Infrequent punching of the cap (8 maximum).
Ageing
Maturation: aged on the lees for 16 months with no racking using a proportion of 40% 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 not fined but was very gently filtered before being bottled using gravity in February 2015.
Vintage
2013, a tardy but typically Burgundian vintage
With harvests in October once again, sorting the grapes was key to the success of this vintage. After 10 days of picking and around a month of vinification, the wines began ageing in oak at the end of October. Some excellent acidity foretells of wines with good keeping potential for both whites and reds.
Ageing potential: 10 years and more.
Tasting notes
The color is an intense ruby red, very pure. The floral nose is very complex, with notes of violets and roses, associated with aromas of black berries. Frank on the palate, its structure is fine despite powerful tannins.
