2020 Chambolle-Musigny Les Cras

This is a producer that I have followed for many years. They are bit under the radar compared to others, maybe since they are based down in Prémeaux-Prissey instead of Nuit Saint-Georges. Quality has really stepped up in recent years. Without wishing to dismiss the work of his father, I think Maxime Rion has the touch. For example, he told me how they have been cultivating grass between rows since 2019, leaving pruned bunches on the ground and then mulching them up so as to increase carbon in the soil, while planting clover to add nitrogen and increase biodiversity. Their 2020s constitute their best ever, especially their fabulous Clos Saint-Marc, which is one of the finest Nuits Saint-Georges I have tasted in barrel for a long time. You can quote me on that. “We started picking on August 26 with the Côte de Nuits Village,” Rion explained. “There was a few millimeters of rain on August 24 or 25, which really helped. Despite the dryness, I don’t think any vines suffered stress, though the yields are 33% down at worst, mainly between 20% to 25% down. The yields were much better for the whites than the reds. Maybe that was because of the stomata. The entry-level wines are de-stemmed and the rest include around 30% whole bunch. We still did some sorting, as there were a few insects and leaves. On the first day of maceration, the color was already there, so it was just a case of checking the temperature and making sure it did not go too high in order to extend the fermentation, plus there was more pumping over then punching down, which we do by hand. The maceration was shorter than usual, around 13 days. The small vertical press did a very good job.”