Wine Advisor
Alain Hudelot Noellat, Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru Les Charmes 2018
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2018 Chambolle-Musigny Les Charmes 1er Cru does not seem as clean on the nose as it should be, slightly volatile with some animally, bretty elements that fester in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with sour cherry and orange rind on the entry. Modest depth, fine acidity, but quite simple and it has a lactic, chocolaty finish that is off-putting. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2018 red tasting.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2018 Chambolle-Musigny Les Charmes 1er Cru has a pure, pretty bouquet of red cherries, crushed strawberry and orange blossom. The vibrant, fresh palate is elegant and airy, without massive structure or grip. The finish shows good delineation. I suspect this will be more for early drinking, but it is still utterly charming.
Reviewed by: William Kelley
The 2018 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Charmes is one of the high points of the range this year, unwinding to reveal a lovely bouquet of cherries, raspberries, orange rind, grilled squab, peonies, warm spices and espresso roast. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, deep and muscular, with excellent concentration, lively acids and rich structuring tannins. This is the finest Charmes I've tasted at this address, and it comes warmly recommended.
About the Producer
In 1962, Alain inherited two small parcels of his father's Chambolle-Musigny Grand Cru Les Chames, plus several vineyards from his marriage to the great-granddaughter of Charles Noellat, a Vosne-Romanee winery family, and he established Domaine Alain Hudelot Noellat. The winery is now about 10 hectares (24 hectares) in size. The estate now has about 10 hectares (24 acres) of vineyards with an average age of over 50 years, including several dating back to 1920, including the vineyard at Romanée-Saint-Vivant. The winery is known for its lighter wines with nuanced and natural flavors. Now managed by third-generation grandson Charles van Canneyts, Hudelot-Nollat is not so different from its grandfather's time, when it was less visible in the thicker wines, but now it has the advantage of refinement, often with fresh, bright fruit, balanced acidity and silky tannins. The vinification is entirely de-stemmed, using local yeasts that are not comparable to artificial yeasts, with a relatively long pre-fermentation cold soak, mainly with trampled skins, and 18 months in new barrels at 20-60%. In 2012, Charles also started to buy grapes from other winegrowers under his own name to make his wine. Vosne-Romanee is a blend of three first growths, Suchots, Beaumonts and Malconsorts, and as young as it is, the Hudelot-Noellat family owns three first growths that are over 100 years old, so this VR is ostensibly a village wine, but with a first growth heritage. Jasper Morris MW has high praise for Domaine Hudelot-Noëllat. He believes that while Alain Hudelot's management has produced fine style reds, Charles van Canneyt has taken over and given the wines more concentration and backbone, retaining their elegance, but with more ageing potential and balance.
