Appellation: Chambolle Musigny
Region: Burgundy
Country: France
Color: Red
Varietal(s): Pinot Noir
About The Producer
Philippe Leclerc butts the mold of the Burgundy winemaker and certainly has created his own path. He forgoes the more conservative uniform blue blazer, shirt and tie, hardly cares about ratings, and is not a promoter. At the age of 13, Philippe left school to work in the vineyard with his father. His family has owned land in Gevrey-Chambertin for over a hundred years so he grew up surrounded by vines. Philippe produced his first vintage in 1979 and has developed a loyal following, justifiably. Philippe Leclerc pulls off magnificent Pinot Noirs in the Côte d’Or.
Terroir & Vineyard Practices:
Chambolle Musigny is an appellation south of Morey St Denis and north of Vougeot on the extraordinary, incomparable Cote d’Or which yields the finest expression of Pinot Noir in the world. It has more limestone in its soils that the other Cote d'Or appellations, giving wines from here a unique weight and fruit expression.
Tasting Notes
With rich dark colors and more tannins than most red Burgundies – this is why Pinot Noir reigns as the very definition of a great Burgundy. Chambolle Musigny produces only red wines and the limestone dominant soil fosters the incredible power and grace in this wine. An incredible value for a topnotch, limited, village level wine that is meant for long aging.
Vinification
Philippe crafts his wines that are made to last, in the old way, but with all the benefits of modern know-how. This wine undergoes a cool maceration of about 15 days, followed by 15 days of fermentation, treading the cap by foot 3 times per day. He settles the wine before aging in oak barrels 30-50% new and then the wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered. The result is deep, firm, classic wines with strong tannic backbones.
