2007 Chambolle Musigny Les Sentiers
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Tasting notes
The Groffier 2007 Chambolle-Musigny Les Sentiers smells of game, black tea, dried currant. Displaying a rather lactic note on its sweetly-fruited – but at the same time persistently gamey, leathery, faintly oily – palate, this finishes with good length and pungent black pepper and citrus oils, but not a lot of sheer fresh berry sap. I’d plan to enjoy it over the next couple of years. Nicolas Groffier seems not to have been bashful when it comes to extracting flavors from the family’s 2008 grapes (harvested in a mere 5 days, finishing October 1), despite what he emphasizes was the tiny size of both yields and berries. When it comes to elevage, though, he was cautious even at a risk he acknowledges of wines that might show stiffly and reductively for a while after bottling, having racked the young 2008s into tank after just shy of 12 months, which for some lots meant almost immediately after the conclusion of malo. (Bottling sessions were in December and February). Natural alcohols in 2008 were in the upper 12’s (the 2007s were very slightly higher) and typically adjusted by about a quarter of a degree. A Peter Vezan Selection (various importers), Paris; fax 011 33 1 42 55 42 93, also imported by Atherton Imports, Menlo Park, CA; sales@awiwine.com
Critic scores
Average Score
David Schildknecht, Vinous
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
Medium red. Full-blown aromas of ripe plum, animal fur and leather, with a lightly jammy quality. Then firmer and fresher in the mouth than the nose would suggest, with harmonious acids framing the sweet raspberry and strawberry flavors. Less open to inspection than the Hauts-Doix but this more tannic, backward wine possesses greater spine.
Good bright red. Red fruits complemented by torrefaction notes of coffee and mocha; comes across as fresher than the Hauts-Doix. Lush and concentrated, but less forward than the Hauts-Doix owing to a firmer mineral spine. This boasts more density and energy. Spreads out nicely on the broad, persistent finish, which features firm but fine tannins and a hint of leather.
Easy and sweet and gentle. Pretty good though not subtle. Very sweet and smudgy. (JR)
About the producer
Domaine Robert Groffier is based in the village of Morey-Saint-Denis and is famous for having some of the most enviable sites in the Côte de Nuits, including a full hectare within Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru Les Amoureuses – one of the most fiercely collected vineyards in Burgundy.