Chambolle-Musigny [shahm-BAWL mew-see-NYEE]
Well-known village located in the the Côte de Nuits district of France’s Burgundy region. It’s one of the smaller villages in this famous area and contains approximately 550 vineyard acres, all planted in Pinot Noir except for a 3⁄4-acre plot that grows Chardonnay. The highest-quality wines are from two well-known grand crus—Bonnes Mares AC and Musigny AC—and they produce wines of quite different styles. The Musigny wines are flavorful but better known for their elegance and finesse; they can be drunk relatively young. Wines from Bonnes Mares, however, are full-bodied (see body), tannic, and require aging a number of years before they mature. The small plot of Chardonnay is planted in Musigny. It produces very good wines, but they’re limited, very expensive, and generally not the quality of other top grand cru white wines. Chambolle-Musigny also has twenty-four premier cru vineyards with Les Amoureuses and Les Charmes generally regarded as the two finest. Chambolle-Musigny AC wines, though generally light and elegant, normally have good structure.
The New Wine Lovers Companion, 2nd Edition, by Ron Herbst and Sharon Tyler Herbst. Copyright © (1) 2003, 1995 by Ron Herbst and Sharon Tyler Herbst. Reprinted by arrangement with Barron's Educational Series, Inc.