2006 Musigny, Grand Cru, Domaine de la Vougeraie, Burgundy

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 de la Vougeraie, based in Premeaux just south of Nuits St Georges, was created in 1999 when Jean-Claude Boisset of the Boisset group decided to group together all the vineyard holdings of his various negociant companies acquired over the years. The name comes from the significant holdings – and indeed Jean-Claude Boisset’s home – in the village of Vougeot. The winery is located however in the old Claudine Deschamps (Madame Jean-Claude Boisset) cellars in Prémeaux. The domaine was put together from the various vineyard holdings which had accrued through the Boisset acquisitions of Burgundian houses over the years. Pascal Marchand was put in charge in 1999, with Bernard Zito in the vineyards, which were farmed biodynamically. Pascal produced powerful wines, fairly heavily extracted in his early vintages but clearly was subsequently moving to a softer approach by 2004. With nearly 40 hectares of vineyard and over 30 different appellations, including six grand crus (Musigny, Bonnes Mares, Clos Vougeot, Charmes Chambertin, Mazoyères, Corton Clos du Roi and Corton Charlemagne), this is one of Burgundy’s leading domaines. No expense has been spared in production terms. The premier and grand cru vineyards are all farmed biodynamically with carefully limited yields. The cellar has been equipped with a battery of new or renovated wooden fermentation vats, a state of the art sorting table and a new model of the old fashioned vertical press which is thought to be the best option for red wines. The wines were made by Pascal Marchand of Comte Armand in Pommard, from 1999 to 2005 and subsequently by Pierre Vincent who has maintained the more delicate approach. The grapes are sorted on one of the longest tables de tri I have seen, before being given a cool pre-maceration. During fermentation Pierre punches down only once a day, much less than Pascal used to. The temperature is maintained at 26º-28ºC/79-81ºF after fermentation to polymerise the tannins and fix the colour. The Musigny is destemmed by hand. Starting in 2008 he has begun to experiment with some whole bunch fermentation, though only for a proportion of a given cuvée.

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.