2015 Chambolle-Musigny, Les Charmes, 1er Cru, Domaine Amiot-Servelle, Burgundy

Domaine Amiot-Servelle

The Domaine Amiot-Servelle is run by Christian Amiot, one of the sons of Pierre Amiot from Morey St Denis, and married to Elisabeth Servelle, daughter of Bernard Servelle-Tachot. The vineyard holdings below come from the latter, though from 2010 there will be village Morey St Denis, Charmes-Chambertin and Clos St Denis from the Amiot side. Christian is also in charge of the local syndicat de l’appellation.
 
The domaine has been farmed organically from 2003, with AB certification from the 2008 vintage. The wines taste fresh and modern although there is no great reliance on oak - 20% new wood is used for the village wine up to 50% for the two top premiers crus. Since 2007 there has been a single vineyard bottling of Chambolle-Musigny Bas Doix alongside the regular version from a blend of plots.

Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Wine Director and author of the award-winning Inside Burgundy comprehensive handbook.

Chambolle Musigny

Chambolle produces the most elegant wines in the Côte de Nuits, having more active chalk and less clay in the soil than the other villages. The wines may be a little lighter in colour and less tannic than Gevrey-Chambertin but they have a sublime concentration of fruit. Village Chambolle-Musigny usually provides excellent value.

Le Musigny is one of the top half-dozen vineyards in Burgundy, producing wines of extraordinary intensity and yet with a magical velvety character. Les Amoureuses is immediately appealing, a wonderfully sensual wine which deserves Grand Cru status. Bonnes Mares tends to have a firmer structure and ages very well

• 94 hectares of village Chambolle-Musigny.
• 61 hectares of Premier Cru vineyards (24 in all). The finest vineyards include Les Amoureuses, Les Charmes, Les Fuées, Les Baudes and Sentiers.
• 24 hectares of Grand Cru vineyard - Bonnes Mares and Le Musigny.
• Recommended producers:  de Vogüé, Mugnier, Roumier, Barthod.
• Recommended restaurant: Le Chambolle 

Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir is probably the most frustrating, and at times infuriating, wine grape in the world. However when it is successful, it can produce some of the most sublime wines known to man. This thin-skinned grape which grows in small, tight bunches performs well on well-drained, deepish limestone based subsoils as are found on Burgundy's Côte d'Or.

Pinot Noir is more susceptible than other varieties to over cropping - concentration and varietal character disappear rapidly if yields are excessive and yields as little as 25hl/ha are the norm for some climats of the Côte d`Or.

Because of the thinness of the skins, Pinot Noir wines are lighter in colour, body and tannins. However the best wines have grip, complexity and an intensity of fruit seldom found in wine from other grapes. Young Pinot Noir can smell almost sweet, redolent with freshly crushed raspberries, cherries and redcurrants. When mature, the best wines develop a sensuous, silky mouth feel with the fruit flavours deepening and gamey "sous-bois" nuances emerging.

The best examples are still found in Burgundy, although Pinot Noir`s key role in Champagne should not be forgotten. It is grown throughout the world with notable success in the Carneros and Russian River Valley districts of California, and the Martinborough and Central Otago regions of New Zealand.