Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé
Chambolle-Musigny | Côte de Nuits | Burgundy
Certainly the greatest estate in Chambolle-Musigny if not in greater Burgundy, de Vogüé for 20 generations has been steward of the village’s top terroirs. The estate owns some 80 percent of grand cru Le Musigny, and a significant portion of grand cru Bonnes-Mares. Its premier cru Chambolle-Musigny is crafted exclusively from younger-vine fruit in Musigny; its Bourgogne Blanc is crafted from younger-vine Chardonnay grown also in Musigny (which may soon be born again as a Musigny Blanc).
The style of de Vogüé is the epitome of Chambolle—delicate aromas, refined yet profound flavors, a finish made of silk. These are wines that come into their own not ten years down the line but 30; a cellar without a selection of de Vogüé is a cellar missing the soul of Burgundy.
FARMING & WINEMAKING
Vineyards are cared for essentially according to organic principles, although the estate is not certified. Beneficial herbs are planted between vineyard rows to control pests; vineyards are plowed by horse; the estate makes its own organic compost.
In general, village wines are aged in 15 percent new French oak barrels, while grand cru wines see no more than 35 percent new oak. Wines are bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Musigny Blanc Grand Cru
This legendary and rare white — the single white grand cru wine in the Cote de Nuits — hails from vines at the top of the slope in grand cru Musigny. After a mass replanting of this sector in the late 1980s and 1990s, the estate decided to bottle this younger vine fruit as a Bourgogne Blanc. As of the 2015 vintage, however, the glories of Le Musigny Blanc Grand Cru are back, and each sip is a profound experience — spice and rich fruit, silk for miles.