2017 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogue, Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

As readers will know, the 2017 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru consists entirely of declassified young vine Musigny, and the wine naturally bears a certain resemblance to its big brother, unfurling in the glass with aromas of ripe cherries, cassis, dark chocolate and Indian spices. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy, with a nicely concentrated core of fruit that's still quite primary, having finished its malolactic fermentation only in June/July, framed by chalky underlying tannins and juicy acids. Francois Millet began the harvest at Domaine Comte Georges de Vogue on September 2, having worked hard throughout the growing season to limit the generous potential yields provided by vines that suffered hard in the 2016 frosts. He succeeded in delaying malolactic fermentations until the following summer, and the resulting wines are unusually saturated in hue—to the extent that Millet was anxious to emphasize that he hadn't sought to extract more than usual. Readers will know the by now well-established rudiments of winemaking here: destemmed grapes, slow fermentations emphasizing pumping over—with pigeage reserved solely for the Bonnes Mares, delayed malolactic fermentations and elevage with one racking.