Wine Advisor
Ghislaine Barthod, Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru Les Cras 2015
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2015 Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru les Cras, which has just a tiny reduction, has a very pure, mulberry and raspberry preserve-scented bouquet, quite intense with fine mineralité, perhaps not quite as detailed as the Veroilles. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, a mixture of red and black fruit, just a suggestion of cassis, all with superb salinity and a silver bead of acidity. Lovely length in the mouth, this is a sensual Le Cras destined to give two decades of drinking pleasure.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
The 2015 Chambolle-Musigny Les Cras 1er Cru has a very detailed, mineral-driven bouquet of pure raspberry and wild strawberry scents; a touch of pressed flowers emerges with time. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin but a little tight at the moment, and the new oak needs time to integrate. There is good substance here, but it doesn’t quite deliver the charm, though I suspect in this case the wine is entering a shut-down phase. Tasted blind at the annual Burgfest tasting.
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.
