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Description
Tasting notes

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
A darker, more mineral-inflected side of Chambolle comes through in the 2012 Chambolle-Musigny Les Cras. Here the flavors are darker and more mineral-pitched. Cool, racy veins of minerality lend energy and vibrancy to dark cherry, plum, cloves and menthol. Today, the Cras is absolutely impeccable. The tannins are firm, though, and will require time to soften. There is so much to look forward to here.

Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Dark, bright red. Raspberry, spices and crushed stone on the vibrant nose and palate. A distinctly rocky, precise style, offering terrific lift and verve and a steely spine of acidity. Spreads out to saturate the palate without leaving any impression of weight. Lovely lingering perfume. Lay this one down for a while.

Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Bright, dark red. Musky aromas of raspberry, minerals and spices. Precise and tightly wound, showing more inner-mouth lift and perfume than the Combottes. Distinctly redder in fruit character, with a dominant red cherry flavor nicely framed by crushed stone on the long, rising finish. Terrific freshness of fruit here.
About the Producer
The domaine was founded in 1924 by Georges Roumier, who began domaine bottling in 1945. He was succeeded in 1957 by his son Jean-Marie and now grandson Christophe, who joined his father in 1982 and took over completely in 1992. Most of the wines are rented (en fermage) from family members although Ruchottes Chambertin is held on a share cropping deal with an external proprietor, Michel Bonnefond. The wines are seductively fruity in their youth yet with excellent ageing potential. The grapes are sorted in the vineyard, with a table de tri at the winery since 2003. They are mostly destemmed, albeit depending on vineyard and vintage, with a few more stems being used recently – then placed in wooden fermenters. The juice is given a cool soak at 15° then allowed to start naturally. The juice is punched down twice a day and temperature controlled so as not to exceed 32°C. There is no great reliance on new wood in the maturation cellar, with 15-25% being used for village wines, 25-40% for premiers crus and no more than 50% for Bonnes Mares. In recent years Christophe has been searching for, and achieving, a greater sense of precision in his wines.