2006 Chambolle-Musigny Les Cras 1er Cru Domaine Georges Roumier Bur...

The 25 vineyards in Chambolle-Musigny (listed below) 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: Les Véroilles, Les Sentiers, Les Baudes, Les Noirots, Les Lavrottes, Les Fuées, Les Feusselottes, Les Grands Murs, Aux Beaux Bruns, Aux Echanges, Les Gruenchers, Les Groseilles, Les Combottes, Les Charmes, Les Plantes, Aux Combottes, Derrière la Grange, Les Borniques, Les Hauts Doix, Les Chatelots, Les Cras, Les Carrières, Les Chabiots, Les Amoureuses, La Combe d'Orveau. Les Amoureuses (5.40 hectares) The most celebrated Premier Cru in Chambolle.

The vines are situated just below Le Musigny but above the significant drop down into Vougeot Premier Cru La Perrière, caused by quarrying rather than a fault line. When young it is almost ludicrously charming, yet it does not age quickly. Leading producers are Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé, Domaine Georges Roumier, Château de Chambolle-Musigny (Frédéric Mugnier), Domaine Robert Groffier, Domaine Amiot-Servelle and Domaine Bertheau. Les Baudes (3.42 hectares) The last of the Chambolle vineyards before the boundary with Morey St Denis, making a relatively firm style (especially in the hands of vignerons from Gevrey-Chambertin such as Christian Sérafin). Les Charmes (7.51 hectares) In common with other Charmes vineyards the wines are plump and rounded. Look for Chambolle Charmes from Domaines Amiot-Servelle, Barthod, Bertheau, Christian Clerget, Ponsot and Patrice Rion.

Domaine Georges Roumier stands among Burgundy’s most esteemed domaines, known for a style that marries precision with an almost effortless sense of elegance. From its historic roots in Chambolle‑Musigny, the estate has developed a reputation for wines that capture the region’s most delicate nuances: purity of fruit, lifted aromatics and a texture that seems to glide rather than impose.
Today, under the stewardship of Christophe Roumier, the domaine continues to craft highly sought after bottlings that reflect a respect for tradition and a thoughtful, measured approach to innovation. Each cuvée, whether from a treasured Premier Cru parcel or a celebrated Grand Cru site, offers a distinctive expression of the Côte de Nuits – refined, harmonious and built for graceful evolution in the cellar.

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.