2012 Chambolle Musigny Les Feusselottes

Good dark red-ruby. Medicinal black fruits and mint on the nose, lifted by a violet note. Then surprisingly pliant in the mouth, offering a juicy quality to the saline dark fruit and violet flavors. This rather suave wine is sweet but not at all over the top, with ripe acidity and broad, fine-grained tannins providing shape and structure. Landanger pointed out that the Chambolle-Musigny vines that came to him in his purchase of vineyards from the old Moine-Hudelot estate in 2008 are all in the range of 25 to 35 years of age. He uses wood cuves to vinify these wines.

The 2012 Chambolle-Musigny Les Feusselottes shows a much more aromatic, lifted side of Chambolle than the Groseilles, which precedes it in this tasting. Sweet floral notes meld into bright red berries in a classy, understated Chambolle that should drink nicely pretty much right out of the gate. Finely cut, chalky tannins give the wine much of its drive and focus.

The 2012 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Feusselottes comes from vines that border the village, around two-thirds planted in the 1920s, the rest in 1966. It owns one of the most appealing and complex aromatic profiles of the Chambolle premier crus, adorned with ripe blackberry, bilberry and mineral aromas that are vivacious and captivating to the senses. The palate is energetic with a crisp, citric line of acidity and impressive poise on the finish. I just love the vibrancy, the passion already evident in this Chambolle-Musigny. Domaine de la Pousse d'Or is one of the most picturesque estates in Burgundy, perched imperiously on the southern flank of Volnay village. With his hounds encircling his legs, I met with Patrick Landanger who became proprietor back in 1997 due to the untimely passed of Gerard Potel. His intentions of becoming a silent shareholder were changed and having acquired the remaining shares from the Potel family, found himself the sole proprietor. He got the bit between his teeth, expanding the domaine's holdings up unto Corton and down into Puligny, converting the vineyard to organic viticulture with an eye on biodynamics. We tasted the wines in his multi-tiered cuverie as assembled blend taken directly from vat. Patrick was keen to stress his dedication to sorting, first via a vibrating table, then a second by eye and hand, then electronically. The result is very pure fruit that fortunately is not taken to the extreme so that it erases the nuances of each terroir. Moreover, I appreciate the prudent use of new oak here. This is another estate, like Marquis d'Angerville, that has a ceteris paribus approach i.e. it is maintained at 30% so that those nuances of terroir can be observed without being skewed by the level of wood. There have been occasions, most notably apropos the 2009 vintage, where I felt that there was a touch of over-ripeness evident in the wines. In 2012 I only discerned one cuvee that exhibited similar traits, the Bonnes-Mares, which came across rather ostentatious compared to the far more refined Clos-de-la-Roche. Otherwise, these 2012s from La Pousse d'Or are worth seeking out. Importers: North Berkeley Wine, Oakland, CA; tel. (510) 336-9880; a Peter Vezan Selection (various importers), Paris; fax 011 33 1 42 55 42 93