Francois Bertheau
Chambolle Musigny
TO ORDER PLEASE EMAIL WINE@RANDALLS.NET.AU
OR CALL (03) 9419 9795
These wines are ordered on a pre-arrival basis and are expected August 2024!
‘…the wines are well worth readers' attention, and they will deliver immense pleasure in their youth. Indeed, it will be hard to pick a bad time to open a Bertheau…’
William Kelley, The Wine Advocate
William Kelley, The Wine Advocate
‘I feel a special affection for this domaine.’
Jasper Morris, Inside Burgundy
This week I've been tasting a lot of 2022's from barrel and bottle, here in Burgundy. There is widespread agreement that the wines are fresh, vibrant and astonishingly great; and a real "surprise" because the very warm and dry season produced such wines of power and vibrancy!
We have been importing François Bertheau’s wonderfully fruited, perfumed, classic and lacey Chambolles since the 2014 vintage. Over this short time there has been a growing chorus of praise from clients here in Australia. François works hard in his 6ha of vines; only Chambolle-Musigny, no other commune. He is determined to have healthy little bunches and he guides the wines through the fermentation and ageing with great care and craft. He does not extract a lot of tannin, nor use a lot of new oak, no more than 10-20% across the range. His 'villages' plots, just near Musigny and on similar contour lines, are well-sited, his Charmes also. But his other premier crus of Baudes, Gruenchers, Noirots and Groseille sit in the glow of Bonnes Mares. These are too small to vinify separately, so François co-ferments them and ages the wine in a 2700L large oval cask. He also ages his villages wine in this fashion.
Cheers, Randall
“François Bertheau, who manages this 6.23 ha domaine (half of which is in villages-level vineyards), said in his typically understated laconic manner that 2022 had a "relatively easy growing season because even though it was exceptionally hot and dry, we had just enough rain at the right moments to prevent a damaging level of hydric stress. Yields were good if not really high at around 40 hl/ha with equally good potential alcohols that came in between 13 and 13.5% so the vinifications were straightforward and had no trouble finishing their sugars. In this sense they remind me quite a bit of my 2017s in both quantity and quality." Bertheau further noted that the 2022s would see about 20% new wood and reiterated that the wines are never fined or filtered.” - Allen Meadows, Burghound
Wines Available:
2022 Francois Bertheau Chambolle-Musigny
RRP: $345 | Pre-Arrival: $225
This is the domaines biggest holding with 2.89 valuable hectares in the plots of Argillières, Guérippes and Fouchères which are all grouped together adjacent to the north end of Musigny grand cru! This wine is mostly aged in a large 2700L foudre, plus 2 new (228L) pieces and 4 old pieces. It's a beautiful regime to keep the rose petal and spiced raspberry freshness and complexity of sites! This is one reason, apart from the obviously small yields, for the scintillating quality, vibrancy and Chambollois "freshness" of the wine.
This is the domaines biggest holding with 2.89 valuable hectares in the plots of Argillières, Guérippes and Fouchères which are all grouped together adjacent to the north end of Musigny grand cru! This wine is mostly aged in a large 2700L foudre, plus 2 new (228L) pieces and 4 old pieces. It's a beautiful regime to keep the rose petal and spiced raspberry freshness and complexity of sites! This is one reason, apart from the obviously small yields, for the scintillating quality, vibrancy and Chambollois "freshness" of the wine.
“A very pretty array of fresh and ripe aromas are comprised by notes of red and dark pinot fruit along with a hint of clove. There is both good volume and richness to the delicious middleweight flavors that terminate in an inviting and nicely textured finale that is sufficiently structured to reward 4 to 7 years of keeping.” 92 pts – Allen Meadows, Burghound
2022 Francois Bertheau Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
RRP: $460 | Pre-Arrival: $295
RRP: $460 | Pre-Arrival: $295
These grapes come from 1.1 hectares split between 4 great 1er Cru plots that are amongst the cream of Chambolle: Groseilles, Baudes, Noirots and Gruenchers. These grapes are all picked on the same day and fermented together, then aged in François' other 2700L foudre. along with the little remainder in new oak pieces.
“Firm reduction renders the nose impossible to assess today. More interesting are the delicious, seductive and caressing medium-bodied flavors that possess better mid-palate density as well as a bit better depth and persistence on the mildly warm finale.” 89-92 pts – Allen Meadows, Burghound
2022 Francois Bertheau Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Charmes
RRP: $544 | Pre-Arrival: $359
These vines are from a few plots forming 0.66 hectares. François used about 20% new barrels and this is incredibly floral, red-fruited and exotically spicy, with a sensual caressing texture that carries the very long palate onwards.
“This is also attractively bright and fresh with its combination of various red berries, lavender and a suggestion of exotic tea. Here too the mouthfeel of the medium weight flavors is highly seductive with a bit more punch that carries over the mildly tangy, dusty and bitter pit fruit-inflected finale.” 90-92 pts – Allen Meadows, Burghound
2022 Francois Bertheau Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses
RRP: $2293 | Pre-Arrival: $1495
EXTRMELY LIMITED - 1 bottle per mixed dozen
This comes from a tiny 0.32 ha. parcel of 45yo vines.
“A more elegant and markedly spicier nose freely reveals its overtly floral aromas of the essence of red pinot fruit and plum scents. The sleek, vibrant and beautifully textured middleweight flavors flash an almost pungent minerality on the complex, balanced and strikingly long finale. It's often qualitatively close between the Amoureuses and BM but in 2022, the Amoureuses is clearly the better of the two wines. We will see in time as the Bertheau BM always ages extremely well but at present, this is the more interesting wine.” 92-94 pts – Allen Meadows, Burghound
2022 Francois Bertheau Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru
RRP: $2392 | Pre-Arrival: $1595
LIMITED - 1 bottle per mixed 6-pack
This is from the red dirt of Bonnes Mares and is the firmest and most backwards of the two big guns. It's a tiny 0.34 hectare parcel with vines that are about 45yo.
“This is the first wine to display any perceptible wood influence though even here it's quite subtle and easily allow the perfumed aromas of red cherry, currant and soft spice elements to be appreciated. There again good volume and richness to the seductively textured larger-bodied flavors that possess better power, if less minerality and refinement on the balanced finale.” 91-94 pts – Allen Meadows, Burghound
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