Our experts recommend this approachable vintage, and are especially impressed by the quality of some of the village wines...
Originally published in Decanter magazine's November 2016 issue and now available online in full, exclusively for Premium subscribers.
68 wines tasted with two rated Outstanding
‘A really nice, attractive vintage you can drink at any time,’ said our panel of Jason Haynes, William Kelley and Jasper Morris MW
You’ll find good value among the domaine bottlings and premiers crus of Chambolle-Musigny 2014, a vintage that offers options for both medium-term drinking or cellaring, says Andy Howard MW…
As you would hope from one of the top communes of the Côte de Nuits, this was a strong set of results. With two Outstanding and 21 Highly Recommended wines, the panel appreciated the quality and finesse on show. More than 80% of the wines tasted received a score of Recommended or higher.
When considering whether the premiers crus live up to their star billing (and much higher prices), the results would suggest that they deliver. Of the Outstanding and Highly Recommended wines, more than 70% were premiers crus.This tasting included 14 of the 24 premier cru climats within Chambolle (sadly no wines from Les Amoureuses were submitted). From the appellation’s southerly end, Les Charmes (relatively sizeable with 7.5ha under vine) was very well represented with 10 different producers on show, living up to its name with some riper, fleshier styles.
Providing one of the two Outstanding wines, La Combe d’Orveau is less well known but has a stellar position, located between Musigny and Echézeaux.
At the northern end of the commune, Les Cras, Les Fuées and Les Baudes (the latter two directly abutting Bonnes-Mares) also performed strongly, with Les Baudes the second most featured premier cru in the tasting.
The panel detected some firmer tannins in wines from the northern part of the commune, but they suggested that these simply need a bit more time to settle down. In fact very few wines should be broached before 2019, with many giving at least a decade of pleasure after that.
The other Outstanding wine (Magnien’s 1er Cru Les Feusselottes) is located just under the village of Chambolle, indicating that proximity to one of the grands crus is not necessarily vital.
Overall, domaines achieved a higher success rate than the more generic négoce village bottlings. Among the better known domaines, Amiot-Servelle, Hudelot-Baillet, Hubert Lignier and Louis Jadot scored well.
Sadly some of the stellar domaines (Georges Roumier, Comte de Vogüé, J-F Mugnier) were not represented at this tasting. The top scores went to Taupenot-Merme and Maison Frédéric Magnien. Their premier cru wines typify what great Chambolle-Musigny is all about and, despite the hefty prices, represent good value for money.
The scores
68 wines tasted
Entry criteria: Producers and UK agents were invited to submit samples of Chambolle-Musigny (villages and premier cru) from the 2014 vintage
Exceptional 0
Outstanding 2
Highly Recommended 21
Recommended 34
Commended 7
Fair 4
Poor 0
Faulty 0
The results
A solid set of results for a ‘promising’, ‘easy-going’ and ‘charming’ vintage that offers good value for impatient red Burgundy lovers. Tina Gellie reports on the tasting…
A ‘thoroughly decent’ tasting, said Jasper Morris MW of these wines (33 of village level and 35 premiers crus). ‘I was a little underwhelmed but not disappointed; while we didn’t find many real high points, the important thing to note was that there were very few low points.’
Jason Haynes felt that the one surprise was how easy most of the wines were to enjoy already. ‘I know 2014 is not a terribly tannic, structured vintage but these are still very young wines. On the whole they were very expressive and fairly integrated already.’
That ‘easy-going quality’ was also noted by William Kelley, who found the wines ‘charming, floral and accessible’. He added: ‘If you’d done the same tasting with the 2012s or 2010s we would have found a lot of wines that were quite reduced at this early stage just after bottling. But here with these ’14s, reduction was not occluding the aromatic fruit and floral expression.’
Morris was disappointed there wasn’t an ‘active Chambolle-ness’ in the wines, but ‘nor did I find many where the winemaking had taken away a notion of terroir’. Equally he said few wines had a long aftertaste, but neither were they short and simple.
Haynes was more sympathetic, finding the set of wines ‘fairly Chambolle-like’ due to little extraction in this vintage. ‘There was plenty of fragrance – yes, a little more minerality might have led to more Outstandings, but overall the wines are very promising and quite pretty.’
There was a clear step up in quality in some – but not all – of the premiers crus, with Haynes citing the hillside sites of Les Cras, Les Feusselottes, Combe d’Orveau and Fuées as the best. ‘The most disappointing was probably Les Charmes, where our average scores were not much higher than they were for the village wines.’
Morris said one thing he noted was a number of wines that were underripe, which may have been the growers’ reaction to the rot that caused some to pick earlier than they otherwise would have. ‘But Pinot Noir forgives a little underripeness as the wines age.’
Haynes agreed there were a few underripe examples, as well as a few that were overcompensated with chaptalisation, but these were exceptions.
The biggest issue was with drying new oak tannins. Morris said: ‘They are young wines, they’ve only just been bottled, so the question you have to ask is: will the oak dry out the fruit?’
Haynes felt it would ‘resolve in time, as the fruit concentration was there’, while Kelley felt it was very prominent among the lighter village wines that didn’t have the ‘extra ripeness, matter and oomph of the premiers crus’.
Potential
Looking at their potential longevity, Haynes felt the village wines were good for short- to mid-term drinking, starting now. Most premiers crus could be approached from 2017 and 2018, with an ideal drinking time four or five years on from that. ‘The best wines could go on for potentially 15 years without too much problem, but will be approachable from 2019 or 2020.’
Kelley agreed: ‘It’s a vintage for people who are not looking to have to cellar their wine for 15 years to realise its potential, so in that sense it’s good value for buyers.’
As a guide, Morris suggested drinking these wines ahead of the 2012s and 2013s, but after the 2011s. ‘With Burgundy, there are vintages that you want to keep a long time to maximise the potential, but there are other vintages where you can keep them a long time, but you don’t necessarily gain significantly more – 2014 is in that latter category. It’s a really nice, attractive vintage you can drink at any time.’
Our tasters each pick their top 3 wines from the tasting
Jason Haynes
Haynes is buying director of Burgundy specialist merchant Flint Wines and spends much of his time tasting in the region. In 2009, with 15 years of buying experience behind him, he was ‘knighted’ at Clos de Vougeot by the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin.
Maison Champy, Chambolle-Musigny 2014
It was a very pleasant surprise to discover this was a Champy wine as it’s been a while since their wines have excited me. It was wonderfully Chambolle in style, with a great blend of sweet, juicy fruit and refined, elegant harmony. Impressive for a village wine. 94 Drink 2019-2023
Manuel Olivier, Chambolle-Musigny 2014
This is not a domaine that I know well, but I was impressed with the freshness and structure of this wine, which suggested there was plenty more to come. It was nicely Chambolle and focused, but with the potential to really evolve into something very attractive. 94 Drink 2019-2023
Domaine Philippe Chéron, Les 40 Ouvrées, Chambolle-Musigny 2014
This is in the modern style, but it works and doesn’t push things too far. It’s glossy with a certain amount of oak, but there is enough concentration of fruit and refinement to balance it. The bite on the finish and subtle tannins add harmony and refreshment. 91 Drink 2020-2025
William Kelley
Kelley first fell in love with wine aged 17, after tasting a 1955 Château Lynch Bages. Under the guidance of the late Hugo Dunn-Meynell, he cut his teeth as a taster on many of the great clarets and Burgundies of the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s. He is the former president of the Oxford University Wine Circle and lives in Napa.
Louis Jadot, 1er Cru Les Fuées, Chambolle-Musigny 2014
A Fuées endowed with substantial concentration and sap, wild berry fruit, rock salt and spice. A classic, cellar-worthy wine from one of Chambolle’s best premiers crus. 93 Drink 2019-2024
Gilbert & Christine Felettig, 1er Cru Les Carrières, Chambolle-Musigny 2014
Juicy black cherry, dark spice and roast squab introduce a concentrated, intense and sappy wine with lots of energy and intensity, which is built for the cellar. Felettig is one of Chambolle’s rising stars: a name to watch. 92 Drink 2018-2022
Domaine Hubert Lignier, Les Bussières, Chambolle-Musigny 2014
Lignier’s old-school wines can get lost in blind tastings when young, but this one showed brilliantly when tasted from barrel, suggesting it’s a bit closed after recent bottling. Fragrant and supple with crunchy fruit. 88 Drink 2019-2022
Jasper Morris MW
Morris is the DWWA Regional Chair for Burgundy and at the time of this tasting was the Burgundy buyer for Berry Bros & Rudd. An international lecturer on Pinot Noir and Burgundy, he is responsible for all the Burgundy entries in The Oxford Companion to Wine. In 2010, Morris published Inside Burgundy, which won the André Simon award for the best wine book of the year.
Domaine Taupenot Merme, 1er Cru La Combe d’Orveau, Chambolle-Musigny 2014
A premier cru that on another day might have been included in grand cru Musigny. So no surprise to see this one come out at the top, especially in the assured hands of Romain Taupenot. 95 Drink 2019-2026
Maison Champy, Chambolle-Musigny 2014
For me the pick of the village-level wines, flirting with a richer style of Chambolle that will find many friends, yet still delivering energy and a sense of balance. Something for everybody here. 95 Drink 2019-2023
Domaine Hudelot-Noëllat, 1er Cru Les Charmes, Chambolle-Musigny 2014
One of Burgundy’s classic domaines, making wines of real elegance. This had an impeccable Chambolle feel to it, and had been picked with enough ripeness, yet without losing vibrancy. I love the sensual elegance of Les Charmes. 94 Drink 2019-2026
About Chambolle-Musigny 2014
The small, charming village of Chambolle-Musigny is located between two of the main powerhouses of the Côte d’Or – Vosne-Romanée to the south and Gevrey-Chambertin to the north.
Chambolle is often considered to be the most ‘feminine’ of the communes of the Côte de Nuits, but this is an over-simplification given the diversity of both terroir and producers to be found in this beautiful region.
What is certain is that good Chambolle-Musigny is among the greatest of red Burgundies, characterised by elegant wines that offer charm, finesse and lift, as opposed to the more powerful, denser wines of the village’s neighbours.
The vineyards of Chambolle-Musigny lie between 250-300m above sea level on relatively thin soils covering hard Jurassic limestone underneath. There is considerable diversity between the soils at the northern end of the commune, which contain a higher proportion of clay (including the grand cru Bonnes-Mares), and the calcaire and pebble-dominated southern part (incorporating Chambolle’s other grand cru, Musigny). These differences influence the style of the premiers crus of Chambolle, as they tend to mirror the character of the grand cru located nearby.
Across the appellation, deep gullies encourage soil and rock erosion, as well as creating varied expositions within a very small area. It is generally considered that a higher proportion of active limestone found here adds to the perfume and elegance of Chambolle-Musigny, and even the denser wines will often have more finesse than wines from Gevrey, Morey or Vougeot.
Notable names
Although a small village, Chambolle-Musigny packs a punch when the quality of the vineyards located within the appellation is considered. In addition to many elegant village-level wines, Chambolle boasts 24 named premier cru climats and the two grands crus.
Just over 20 producers are registered within the AC, including some of the most illustrious domaines in the Côte d’Or – Georges Roumier, Comte Georges de Vogüé, Ghislaine Barthod and J-F Mugnier.
Of the premiers crus, the famous Les Amoureuses (located adjacent to Le Musigny) is one of the two prime candidates (along with Clos-St-Jacques in Gevrey-Chambertin) should a Burgundy premier cru ever be selected for upgrading to grand cru status.
Other top premiers crus located close to Musigny are Les Charmes, La Combe d’Orveau and the smaller Les Chabiots.
Adjacent to Bonnes-Mares are Les Cras, Les Fuées and Les Baudes. One should anticipate subtle differences in style between these different climats; nevertheless, the wines of Chambolle-Musigny should always display lift, elegance and finesse, and be relatively approachable when young, but capable of ageing and fulfilling the oft-quoted idiom of the ‘iron fist in a velvet glove’.
Chambolle-Musigny: the facts
Area under production 153ha: 56ha premier cru, 24ha grand cru; red wines only (except for grand cru Musigny Blanc)
Maximum yield for red wine 40hl/ha
Maximum alcohol 13.5% for village; 14% for premier cru; 14.5% for grand cru
Crus 24 premiers crus, 2 grands crus
Chambolle-Musigny: know your vintages
2015 Fine and dry growing season suggests potential for great red wines. Keep.
2014 Early spring, cool summer, but a hot September led to ideal vintage conditions. Charming, fragrant and fleshy wines. Potentially high quality. Keep.
2013 Cold, wet growing season saved by glorious September. Elegant, racy wines.
2012 High quality despite a cool, damp summer. Village wines starting to drink well.
2011 Rot was a constant challenge. The best are attractive, fruit-driven wines. Drink.
2010 Will be classic and long-lasting, with verve and concentration – a contrast in style to the voluptuous 2009s.
2009 Less typical and terroir-driven than most vintages, but high quality and pleasurable already. Drink or keep.
2008 Glorious September weather rescued the harvest. Bright fruit character, often good value. Drink.
Top scoring Chambolle-Musigny 2014 from this panel tasting:
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