Wine Region: Burgundy - France
Grape: 100% Chardonnay
Site : Chanson is one of the major owners of Clos des Mouches with a vineyard of 4.5 hectares. A sunny Terroir which benefits from an ideal location on the hill at the southern end of the vineyards of Beaune on a spur pointing toward Pommard . A plot of 2 hectares on the upper side of the hill is planted with Chardonnay on a limestone subsoil covered with sand.
The Vintage 2016 : After a cool and rainy winter and a frost episode in April, the weather at the end of spring was warmer but rainy which engendered a late flowering. The summer was warm and dry. September was warm and the harvest took place at the end of the month under a bright sunshine.Vinification : after a mild pressing, the wines are aged in wooden casks in our XVth century cellars for 12 - 14 months. Moderate use of new oak.
Tasting : Gold colour. Subtle floral fragrances (lime blossom) mixed with citrus fruit aromas on a hint of minerality. Fleshy and bright on a tight texture. Deep and long finish with salty tinges.
Expert rating:
Wine Spectator: 90/100
Bettane & Desseauve: 17.5/100
Burghound: 91/100
How to enjoy: Foie gras, seafood and certain Comté or Citeaux type cheeses
About the winery: Though modest in size, Chanson Père & Fils is one of the oldest of Beaune’s great négociant houses, having been founded in 1750 by Simon Verry. The Chanson family, already vineyard owners in Beaune, Savigny and Pernand, took control during the 19th century. In 1999 the company was sold to Bollinger, who appointed Gilles de Courcel to run the business in 2002. The company has kept its old headquarters and maturation cellars in the ‘bastion’, a late medieval stone tower which was one of Beaune’s principal fortifications, with a more modern vinification facility on the edge of town towards Savigny, built in 1974 and undergoing modernisation and extension between 2008 and 2010.
The wines are made by Jean-Pierre Confuron, of Domaine Confuron-Cotetidot in Vosne-Romanée, whose brother Yves supervises Gilles de Courcel’s family domaine in Pommard. The new team has made considerable improvements, beginning in the vineyards which are now plowed and no longer fertilized. From 2009 the domaine vineyards will be organic. Unusually amongst the major négociants, Chanson reds are made with a good proportion of the stems included. The majority of the wines see about 30 per cent new oak during maturation, with François Frères favored for red-wine barrels and Damy for white.
The Chanson Domaine, increased to 45 hectares by some shrewd purchases in 2006, provides about a quarter of the company’s production which extends to Chablis, the Mâconnais and the Beaujolais. Its own vineyards are entirely in the Côte de Beaune.
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