Burgundy 2011 En Primeur Best Buys - Premier Crus

A rich and juicy wine, with poise and elegance – everything one would want from a fine Chambolle-Musigny.
Stuart Rae, Private Account Manager

This shows excellent concentration, yet is once again a sensual, stylish wine with ripe plum and fresh raspberry notes. It has an excellent sense of energy, and is long and impressive.
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.

---

Glowing purple in colour, with a delicious, wild, succulent nose, this wine has very good density and excellent structure, without too much tannin. Made from 20-year-old vines in this lovely vineyard, which has really come on since they took it over, it has excellent length, with red and black cherry, notes.
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.

Patrice’s Les Fuées 1er Cru wine has an engaging bouquet of vibrant cherry fruit. Healthy, fine and elegant, yet with good underlying energy, this is really very attractive.