2021 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru

This might be one of Chambolle-Musigny’s grandees, yet this address is witnessing subtle changes as it reflects upon its practices. Since winemaker Jean Lupatelli commenced his tenure in April 2021, there has been an unhesitating tweak of the formula, which was overdue. To that end, I wonder whether opening your account with such a traumatic season was something that Lupatelli rues. Or will it stand him in good stead for the future?

“Starting with a difficult vintage raises the pressure, and that forces you to reflect on what you are doing,” he replies and in a further exchange, he explains that one silver lining of a depleted vintage is that it facilitated the implementation of practices that would be logistically more difficult in a high volume vintage like 2022. Despite the obstacles, the smaller crop allowed him to ‘ease’ himself in. There are changes out in the vines… “Les Amoureuses is being replanted over the next 7-8 years due to the old age of the vines, Cordon pruning system and the amount of virus. So around half the vines have been pulled up, resulting in a small quantity this year [three barrels].”

Then, we broach the vintage in question and his tough ‘first day in the office’.

“I arrived mid-April during the drama of the spring frost. On my first day, they took away the burned candles in the vineyard. We lost around 50% of the volume due to the frost. After that, it was very stressful, especially for the chef de culture. Due to the high disease pressure, we lost small quantities every week, resulting in a small crop, around 40% of the normal production. The good surprise was for the whites. I expected two barrels, and we got four. We started picking on 22 September and harvested over six days. It was a small yield, so the logistics were not too hard, making the change to 10kg cagettes easier for the team. There wasn’t too much sorting as we did strict work in the vineyard so that bunches remained healthy. We have a good Willmes press, though it’s a bit old and hard to program. I had to do it manually as I wanted a soft pressing. The alcoholic fermentation was normal, though we have reorganised the reception, allowing us to work with whole clusters. We did a 20-day maceration. We did not do less pigeage, two to three maximum, working mainly with remontage. The aging was normal. The malo only started last spring, and we racked last summer except for the whites, where the malo finished just before the last harvest.”

Considering the growing season, Lupatelli should be proud of his achievements in 2021. Sure, the lack of sunlight and ripeness curtails potential. Yet, I sense newfound freshness and tension in the wines, not least in an exceptional Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru and in the Musigny Vieilles Vignes. There is greater examination of sub-parcels in their dominant Musigny holdings, similar to Clos de Tart and Clos des Lambrays in years, for example, questioning the differences between the lieux-dits of Petit and Grand Musigny. That’s going to yield results in the future. Of course, quantities are down, and these wines are not cheap by a long chalk. Nevertheless, departing Comte de Vogüé, I cannot wait to taste these 2021s in bottle and look forward to the 2022s next year.