Wine Advisor
Ghislaine Barthod, Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru Les Cras 2009
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2009 Chambolle-Musigny Les Cras is loaded with class and energy. There is tremendous energy in the glass as layers of dark cherries, mint, graphite, crushed rocks, spices and licorice gain volume and breath through the mid-palate and finish. I very much like the intensity and focus here. The Cras is going to need at least another few years in bottle, but it is shaping up to be truly stellar.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2009 Chambolle-Musigny Les Cras shows the powerful, muscular side of Chambolle. This is a decidedly broad-shouldered, strapping wine loaded with dark fruit. Sweet spices, tar and menthol add complexity on the finish. The Cras is another wine that needs a number of years in bottle. Its potential, though, is huge.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Good medium red. Aromas of musky raspberry, coffee and earth, with a note of sappy cherry emerging with air. Large-scaled and silky in texture but utterly unevolved today, coming across as dry and uncompromising. This youthfully imploded wine is distinctly linear today and will need extended aging to ripen in the bottle. Strong mineral and menthol notes carry through to the long aftertaste. An austere 2009 with substantial dusty tannins, but built for long life.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Good full red. Very ripe if somewhat reticent aromas of kirsch and chocolate; strongly minerally but needs more time to absorb its oak. Then creamy-rich and dense in the mouth but extremely unevolved, showing less detail today than the Veroilles. Strong underlying minerality here. Finishes ripe and powerful, with building tongue-coating tannins.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2009 Chambolle-Musigny Les Cras is loaded with class and energy. There is tremendous energy in the glass as layers of dark cherries, mint, graphite, crushed rocks, spices and licorice gain volume and breath through the mid-palate and finish. I very much like the intensity and focus here. The Cras is going to need at least another few years in bottle, but it is shaping up to be truly stellar. Anticipated maturity: 2019-2029. Barthod’s 2009s are just as impressive from bottle as they were from barrel. Barthod and her husband Louis Boillot told me they moved up their harvest date by four days in 2009 because the fruit was ripening quickly. That turns out to have been a very wise choice. The Barthod 2009s have wonderful energy to match the radiance of the year. Readers can’t go wrong with any of these superb 2009s Importer: Rosenthal Wine Merchant, Pine Plains, NY; tel. (800) 910-1990
About the Producer
The Domaine Barthod-Noellat was founded in the late 1920s and obviously is a fusion of the work of two families: Noellat & Barthod. Gaston Barthod, whose family originated in the Jura, married into the Noellat family and took over the direction of the domaine after his military service concluded in the 1950s. We commenced our love affair with this domaine in 1981 when we first began to import its wines into the United States. In many ways, Gaston Barthod served as our mentor in the early stages of our work in Burgundy and we remain deeply grateful for, and respectful of, his sage advice. At the outset of our relationship, Gaston declared only his Chambolle Musigny “Les Charmes” as a 1er Cru and all the rest of the wine bore the same “Chambolle Musigny” label. For our initial shipments of “Les Cras” and “Les Fuées”, two lovely 1er Crus, we had Gaston mark the boxes in crayon with a “C” or an “F” so that we could keep them separate and treat them differently when they arrived stateside! Ghislaine Barthod’s holdings cover 5.86 hectares in the commune of Chambolle and in neighboring Gilly-les-Citeaux. The soil of Chambolle is more spare than that of neighboring Morey and Gevrey. Limestone gravel covers the surface and the layer of topsoil is very thin. As a result, the wines of Chambolle are noted for their finesse and delicacy. The average age of the vines on the Barthod estate is over 30 years old. Yields are always modest; a vigorous pruning and occasional “green harvest” are practiced. Ghislaine follows traditional methods of vinification and carefully ages her wines. The grapes are partially destemmed before going into the fermentation vats. Only natural yeasts are used. The more sluggish start encountered when working with wild yeast gives the must a natural period of maceration before fermentation begins. The length varies from 2 to 5 days and is dependent upon temperatures. After fermentation, the wines are racked into small barrels (about 20% to 25% of which are new) and aged for about 20 months. These wines are particularly ageworthy and offer the rare privilege of deeply exploring the terroir of this singular village.
