Scott Paul ‘08 Chambolle-Musigny
As I’ve mentioned here a while back, we made our first wine in Burgundy last fall - one whole barrel of a gorgeous 2008 Scott Paul Chambolle-Musigny. Talk about a dream coming true! I still can’t really believe it, but each time I check in on our barrel it starts to sink in a little more. I ordered the labels a couple of weeks ago, which seemed to make it even more of a reality. Before dropping in to check on the juice, I stopped by the vineyard - I thought you might like to see exactly where this wine comes from. It’s a lieu-dit called Les Bussières - on the northern edge of Chambolle right at the Morey-St. Denis border -
Our barrel is sitting quietly in the cellars of Anne & Hervé Sigaut in Chambolle. It is coming along nicely in barrel (a once-used François Frères Allier MT, in case you’re interested), and the élévage has been going smoothly. As previously noted, malolactic fermentation is happening late for most of the 08s, so when I stopped by the Sigauts to taste their finished 07s in bottle and check in on our barrel last week, it was in mid-malo but showing some very succulent ripe fruit at this stage nonetheless. I’ll check in again next trip, and keep you up to date - at this point we’ll likely bottle in February or March…
Anne proudly showed off their new custom stone floor walkways in the cellar, made from local stone quarried in Chassagne-Montrachet…
We then tasted thru their range of very pretty 07s - a vintage which clearly favored my favorite village of Chambolle-Musigny, with bright, pretty, elegant red fruits and subtle, intoxicting perfumes abounding. Their 07 Chambole-Musigny showed distinct notes of raspberry that I found very appealing. Then on to the 1er Crus - the Fuées, from their youngst vines (planted in 96) was nicely balanced, and a touch more complex than the 06 version, I thought. The Noirots was dense and concentrated, leaning toward darker fruits, and very long. The Chatelots was the best of the cellar on the day in my opinion, with fine tannins, ultra-pure elegance and finesse through and through (Anne also thought it was her best of the vintage.) Then the Sentiers (from their oldest vines dating to the 40s) - it was as fine and pure as the Chatelots, but with more structure and grip - I said it reminded me of a “Baby Bonnes Mares”. Here’s a shot of the days’ lineup…
I’m really looking forward to welcoming Anne & Hervé to Oregon next month for their first appearance at IPNC. Watch this space and your email for details on a special tasting event at the winery in Carlton while they’re in town - with their full range of 06s now in-stock and ready to take home for your dining and dancing pleasure!
