Les Cras

From the village part of the vineyard, with southerly exposure, this is quite a pale pink-purple colour, with a beautifully stylish nose; some minerality as well as Chambolle suavity. There is pretty red fruit, with lots of detail. The wine has good acidity, while the fruit comes bouncing back at the finish.

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.

From the village part of the vineyard, this is a lovely, even, fresh mid-purple with a sensual, stylish, classical Chambolle nose. The wine is tightly knit on the palate with good acidity, but it is the fruit which really stands out. Very long and lovely. Drink 2021-2028.
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.

With brilliant fruit on the nose, this intense Chambolle-Musigny Les Cras from Domaine Rion marries lovely crunchy fruit and a touch of spice with an impressive finish.

Burgundy 2012 Staff Favourite - Red
Lifted red fruit and a hint of smokiness on the nose, this is a very pure Chambolle. An abundance of cherry on the palate is finely balanced by silky tannins and a touch of new oak. Give this a few years in the cellar and drink from 2017.
Fergus Stewart, Private Account Manager

This wine is bright, dark purple with an explosive and beautiful nose. A deft touch of oak helps to bind the exuberant fruit, dark cherries abound on the palate. This is an absolute winner in 2012.
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.

The nose here – all floral perfume and wispy, chalky minerals – speaks clearly of this vineyard’s prime location up the slope in Chambolle. The purple fruit is initially quite rich, before the chalk and energy of Les Cras kicks in to carry the finish along with floral notes and tension. Drink 2021-2027.

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.