Domaine Michèle et Patrice Rion : Chambolle-Musigny 1er cru "Les Charmes" 2020

Tasting characteristics and advice for the Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru "Les Charmes" 2020 from Domaine Michèle et Patrice Rion

Tasting

Appearance

The wine displays a luminous ruby-red color with garnet highlights, remarkably intense while retaining the beautiful transparency characteristic of the great wines of Chambolle-Musigny.

Nose

The nose reveals fine aromatic complexity, with notes of red fruits (raspberry, cherry) accompanied by delicate floral nuances reminiscent of violet and peony. With aeration, spicy touches of pepper and licorice enrich the bouquet, adding an extra dimension to the whole.

Palate

On the palate, the attack is concentrated yet never aggressive, unveiling a round, generous texture. The mid-palate offers lovely breadth with silky, refined tannins. The structure remains elegant, supported by a persistent freshness that perfectly balances the wine’s concentration. The finish lingers with length, leaving a slightly spicy mineral impression that speaks to the limestone origin of the terroir.

Food and wine pairings

This Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru "Les Charmes" 2020 is an ideal match for refined white meats such as a rack of veal with morels or roasted capon. It also pairs beautifully with feathered game birds such as roasted quail or pheasant. Simply roasted lamb with herbs also makes a harmonious pairing. As for cheese, opt for soft, washed-rind cheeses such as Brillat-Savarin or Reblochon.

Serving and cellaring

The Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru "Les Charmes" 2020 can be enjoyed now while also offering excellent aging potential, allowing it to evolve beautifully until around 2040. It is best served at a temperature between 15 and 17°C.

The finesse and balance of a Chambolle-Musigny premier cru

The estate

Founded in 1990 in Prémeaux-Prissey, near Nuits-Saint-Georges in Burgundy, Domaine Michèle et Patrice Rion now spans around 6 hectares of estate-owned vines. Since 2005, Maxime Rion, son of the founders and a graduate in oenology, has gradually joined the family estate. In February 2025, he officially became the estate’s managing director, ensuring generational continuity. The estate stands out for its innovative approach to viticulture, its organic certification by Ecocert, and its minimalist winemaking philosophy that favors balance and freshness over power. The property notably owns prestigious monopoles such as Clos Saint-Marc and grows its own rootstocks, a practice that is extremely rare in Burgundy.

The vineyard

The Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru "Les Charmes" comes from a 0.43-hectare plot located in the heart of the appellation. This premier cru Climat takes its name from a historic Burgundian term referring to land that was once left fallow. The vineyard benefits from a privileged geographic position, in the immediate vicinity of the famous Climat Les Amoureuses. The soils are made up of shallow alluvial deposits, consisting of limestone fragments mixed with clay and silt, resting on an outcropping limestone bedrock. This composition promotes excellent drainage while allowing the roots to draw mineral elements from deep within the ground. The estate farms this vineyard according to organic principles, with rigorous practices including short pruning, thorough shoot thinning, optimized trellising management, and strict control of grape yields. Massale selection programs have been in place since 2014 to preserve genetic diversity and adapt the vineyard to climate change.

The vintage

The 2020 vintage in Burgundy was marked by particularly favorable climatic conditions. The growing season benefited from warm temperatures and dry weather, significantly limiting pressure from fungal diseases. These ideal conditions allowed for optimal ripening, resulting in fruit of great sanitary purity. Harvest took place in sunny weather, making it possible to pick perfectly healthy, ripe berries. This vintage produced deeply colored wines with fine fruit concentration, remarkable balance between alcohol and acidity, and excellent aging potential.

Winemaking and aging

Upon arrival at the winery, the grapes for the Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru "Les Charmes" 2020 were carefully sorted on two successive sorting tables. After partial destemming, the berries were transferred by gravity into temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks. A cold soak was carried out for several days at a temperature maintained between 11 and 12°C, allowing gentle extraction of aromatic and color compounds. Alcoholic fermentation then took place with indigenous yeasts, with the temperature controlled so as not to exceed 32°C. Total maceration lasted around eighteen to twenty-one days. After pressing and one week of settling in tank, the wine was transferred by gravity into barrels for eighteen months of aging, with around 50% new oak and 50% one-wine barrels. The wine remained on fine lees without racking during this period. Before bottling, a blending and homogenization phase of four to eight weeks in stainless-steel tank was carried out. The wine was neither fined nor filtered.

Grape variety

100% Pinot Noir