2019 Domaine Marchand Freres Chambolle-Musigny Vieilles Vignes Rouge

Very politically incorrect, Chambolle-Musigny is often described by the French wine press as the most 'feminine' of the red wines from the Côtes de Nuits. 'Vieilles Vignes', old vines, have the advantage of keeping crop yields naturally low. And low crop yields mean 'concentration'. This fantastic Marchand Freres Chambolle-Musigny 'Vieilles Vignes' has beautiful fresh red and warm fruit with violets. a bit like in Volnay, but perhaps richer and more complex. The old vines give it character, even personality and a structure that is sturdy enough to age. But don't miss the charm of youth, but open the bottle for 2 hours so that it can breathe.

The Domaine Marchand Freres has been around for seven generations since 1813, and for most of that time it was located in Morey-St. denis. However, in 1983 the domain bought a winemaker's house in the center of Gevrey-Chambertin, ostensibly because of the beautiful working cellars below. But Gevrey gradually became the headquarters of the company and today Denis Marchand lives in the beautifully restored house and receives guests in the cellars below.

The estate has small plots in some very important vineyards in Chambolle-Musigny, Morey-Saint-Denis and Gevrey-Chambertin, including premier cru 'Les Sentiers' in Chambolle, 'Le Clos des Ormes' in Morey and 'Les Combottes' in Gevrey . They also have interests in Grand Cru Clos de la Roche, Griottes-Chambertin and Charmes Chambertin. But the production is small, 1000 cases here, a few hundred there, only dozens in the Grands Crus. Marchand Freres is the Burgundian domain par excellence: small production, high quality.