2012 Chambolle Musigny

Good dark red. Soil-driven aromas of musky red fruits, mocha and minerals. Silky-sweet and plush, with an essentially gentle quality to the fresh red and darker berry flavors. Finishes juicy and long, with sweet tannins. Nicely judged extraction here.

The 2012 Chambolle-Musigny shows considerable power and intensity, but it's hard to see too much beyond that, especially in the aromatics, which are heavily reduced. Like all of the Pousse d'Or 2012s, the Chambolle has a lot of richness. Whether or not it develops greater finesse over time is an open question.

The sample of 2012 Chambolle-Musigny Village demonstrated some reduction on the nose. The palate is solid and a little brutish at the moment with a firm, spicy finish that will need time to mellow. 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