Chambolle-Musigny is the essence of Burgundian grace. The wines of the town embody the elegant, silky side of Pinot Noir, a continent away from New World, warm climate versions. Though it’s a village of 320 inhabitants on less than 500 acres, this tiny town produces some of the most ethereal and sought-after red wine in the world.
We’re always on the lookout for everyday red Burgundy, but some wines are not meant for weeknights. Michel Gros’s Chambolle-Musigny comes mostly from “les Argilières,” the only village-level plot bordering the great Grand Cru “le Musigny.” Gros is best known the wines from his hometown Vosne-Romanée, but one sip of this beautifully textured, effortless wine and you’ll wonder how any of his others could surpass it.
A few years ago Clive Coates MW named the Domaine Michel Gros in the top 17 domaines in all of Burgundy — a list that included Romanée-Conti, Leroy, and Comtes-Lafon — highlighting the “nobility and elegance” of his wines. Gros’s wines range from a perennially sold-out Bourgogne to a masterful, cellar-worthy Grand Cru Clos Vougeot. Today’s Chambolle-Musigny strikes a balance between everyday-bottle and anniversary-bottle; and now nearly five years on from the harvest it is just beginning to show off its impressive breeding.
Gros’s 2011 Chambolle is just entering the beginning of its drinking window, and should age well for another five or seven years. Allen Meadows called Gros’s 2011 Chambolle “highly refined” and “utterly delicious;” we suggest decanting for an hour before serving. The wine shows intense wild cherry aromas, with notes of earth and toast; the mouth is long and elegant, showing silky tannins, violets, and enormous depth.
This is the marriage of a master winemaker and superb terroir — a wine to slow down with on a Sunday afternoon. Sear a pair of duck breasts (Bell & Evans’s are delicious and widely available), pour a glass of this, and really enjoy a day off. It’s what the French would do.
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GROS Chambolle-Musigny 2011
Ansonia Retail: $72
quarter-case: $64/bot
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AVAILABLE IN 3- 6- AND 12- BOTTLE LOTS
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or call Tom: (617) 249-3657
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