2017 Chambolle-Musigny Les Cras 1er Cru

Hudelot-Baillet is a new addition to Vinous. A friend in London introduced me to the domaine several years ago and, smitten by his Chambolle-Musigny Village, I visited a few months later and every year since. A bit of background first. Paul Hudelot ran the domaine until 1981, whereupon it was passed to his son, Joel Hudelot-Baillet. When Hudelot-Baillet retired in 2004, his son-in-law, Breton-born Dominique Leguen, took over, having worked alongside Joel for six years. It is a small domaine like most in Chambolle-Musigny, the portfolio including a number of good-quality red and white regional wines from the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits, plus a couple of attractive Premier Crus and a slice of Bonnes-Mares. Underpinning the quality is vine age coupled with the quality of winemaking: lutte raisonnée in the vineyard, complete de-stemming, a short cool pre-fermentation maceration, a bit of délestage and maturation in around 30% new oak. It has always been a very cramped barrel cellar, with barrels stacked three or four high – at least when not affected by frost damage as in 2016. This year, Leguen could finally show me his expanded cellar, excavated from below Les Cras and connected to the original cellar by a short tunnel, leaving the walls of exposed limestone rock. Yes, it is very pretty. More importantly, it is going to make a huge difference to Leguen in terms of functionality and space, and the timing is perfect given two high-yielding vintages in 2017 and 2018. There is always one new cru in the form of his Chambolle-Musigny Les Borniques, whose southern flank actually borders Musigny Grand Cru and which was, until now, blended into the Chambolle-Musigny Vieilles Vignes. It is not a well-known Premier Cru but it is very well located and readers should note that Amiot-Servelle have also released their own wine from this vineyard.

Leguen told me that he picked from September 9 to 16, perhaps a little later than others. “I like the structure and the backbone,” he told me. “It’s a great wine for restaurants.” Well, restaurants and wine-lovers too. The style of Hudelot-Baillet tends to be a little denser and more fruit-driven than others, quite polished in style, but brimming with freshness, vitality and terroir expression. The Chambolle-Musigny Vieilles Vignes lacked the same complexity that I discerned in previous vintages and I wonder whether it does miss that contribution from Les Borniques. Do not overlook the fine Bourgogne Hauts-Côtes de Nuits Blanc and Rouge, which offer great value for money.