Chambolle Musigny Premier Cru
The 25 vineyards in Chambolle-Musigny are designated as Premier Cru vineyards. Their wines are described as Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru, followed by the vineyard name – for example, as Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru Les Grands Murs. The most celebrated Premier Cru in Chambolle is Les Amoureuses.
The 2016 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Baudes, which comes under the Domaine Gagey label, has a vibrant and fresh, rose petal-scented bouquet with plenty of Morello cherry and crushed strawberry scents. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grain tannin, good tension even if it is just missing some complexity toward the finish, as if running out of ideas two-thirds of the way through.
Neal Martin,The Wine Advocate (winter 2017)
Patrice Rion compares 2014 to a mix of 1979 and 1989 for the aromatics and delighted to have been able to pick a more or less normal-sized crop. He began on 12th September with healthy grapes, reinforced by his system of two sorting tables, one before and one after de-stemming. The amount of new oak has been reduced here, now just 30 percent on most cuvées.
Jasper Morris MW, Wine Buyer
With more than 35 vintages under his belt, Patrice Rion considers that 2015 is the finest of his career, offering elegance, acidity and persistence. They began picking on 5th September and finished before the rain which arrived the following weekend. The only sorting that needed doing was to remove any dried-out berries. The yields were acceptable, just 10 percent down in volume on the previous vintage. Unusually, Patrice and his son Maxime have used some whole bunches on certain cuvées, notably the Clos des Argillières and Clos St Marc.
Jasper Morris MW, Wine Buyer
With more than 35 vintages under his belt, Patrice Rion considers that 2015 is the finest of his career, offering elegance, acidity and persistence. They began picking on 5th September and finished before the rain which arrived the following weekend. The only sorting that needed doing was to remove any dried-out berries. The yields were acceptable, just 10 percent down in volume on the previous vintage. Unusually, Patrice and his son Maxime have used some whole bunches on certain cuvées, notably the Clos des Argillières and Clos St Marc.
Jasper Morris MW, Wine Buyer
With more than 35 vintages under his belt, Patrice Rion considers that 2015 is the finest of his career, offering elegance, acidity and persistence. They began picking on 5th September and finished before the rain which arrived the following weekend. The only sorting that needed doing was to remove any dried-out berries. The yields were acceptable, just 10 percent down in volume on the previous vintage. Unusually, Patrice and his son Maxime have used some whole bunches on certain cuvées, notably the Clos des Argillières and Clos St Marc.
Jasper Morris, MW - Wine Buyer
Despite this being a very late season, Patrice compares 2013 to the fruit of early vintages such as 2007 and 2011, but with more stuffing. It also reminds him of 1980, a particularly successful vintage chez Rion. The 2013 crop is a small one though, a touch more than 2012 but less than 2011. They employed two sorting tables, and since the grapes which reached the vats were all healthy, they used less sulphur during vinification.
Jasper Morris MW, Wine Buyer
Picking began here on 4th September and took five days in incredibly easy conditions. The thick skins on the grapes and the ease with which the colour emerged meant that it was important not to go chasing the tannins, according to Ghislaine, so she used pumping over rather than punching down. All bunches were de-stemmed as usual. The crop is, once again, slightly on the small side.
Jasper Morris, MW - Wine Buyer
Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Director
We have decided to combine here the wines that fall under the domaine label and those produced officially as négociant wines and labelled as Patrice Rion. Most of these cuvées are from vines managed by Patrice who has one contract to farm the vineyards and another to buy the grapes. The exceptions are the village Chambolle-Musigny and Nuits-St Georges Vieilles Vignes where Patrice is not involved in the farming.
Patrice and son Maxime are tweaking their techniques a little by reducing new oak and slightly increasing extraction in the pre-fermentation stage. These are impressive results – the Nuits-St Georges continues the consistently fine streak of recent years while this is certainly the finest range of Chambolle-Musigny that they have ever produced. 2010 reminds Patrice a little of 1978 and 1991, two vintages with small yields, full ripeness and notable concentration.
Jasper Morris MW, Berrys' Burgundy Director Patrice and son Maxime Rion are tweaking their techniques a little by reducing new oak and slightly increasing extraction in the pre-fermentation stage. The results are impressive; in 2011 the wines have come in naturally at around 12.5% alcohol and they show a true sense of balance.
Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Wine Director
Picking began on 24th September through to 5th October, producing a tiny yield in Premeaux after heavy rain during flowering. However, Chambolle survived in places and did go through malolactic fermentation with ease, leaving Nuits-St Georges to be much later. Despite healthy fruit, the crop has been reduced severely, producing as little as 12 hl/ ha in places. Patrice uses 30% new wood on his village wines and 40% for his Premiers Crus. Wines marked as ‘Patrice Rion label’ are officially negoçiant cuvées, but in every case, except the village Chambolle-Musigny, the Rions have done all the vineyard work as well as made the wine.
Jasper Morris MW, Berrys' Burgundy Director Given that the sugar levels are not high in 2011, Ghislaine Barthod expected something lighter this year. However, the wines have come out with good texture and density. While accessible in the medium term, they show an attractive freshness and energy which puts them into a different class from the attractive 2007s. Chambolle-Musigny has done well in 2011, since the style of the appellation appreciates the fresher aspect of lower alcohol levels.
Patrice explains that the hard work they did at the start of the year in pruning short and carrying out a severe de-budding, as well as a little green harvesting on younger vines, paid dividends in terms of avoiding excessive yields and consequent dilution. The dry and warm conditions towards the end of the season allowed them the luxury of choosing when to harvest, in fact beginning on 9th September. Patrice compares the vintage to 1979 and 1989, highlighting the wines’ impeccable balance and freshness (the latter he prefers over power) as particular strengths. Our notes indicate whether the wines are domaine or négoce bottlings.