Ghislaine Barthod Chambolle-Musigny Les Veroilles 1er cru MG 2012

Robert ParkerThe 2012 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Veroilles has a mineral-led, tense, very focused and quite animated bouquet that soars from the glass without any messin’ about. The palate is dark and introspective straight from the off, but then that wave of pure blackberry and raspberry fruit crashes against the mouth. There is wonderful volume and intensity on the finish, one of the best wines of the domaine this year. Seeking a master-class in the premier crus of Chambolle-Musigny? Look no further than here, where Ghislaine Barthod crafts a small flotilla of wines from within the ambit of her maison that she shares with Louis Boillot (see separate entry.) I have been closely following Ghislaine’s wines for over a decade: reliable, dependable and predisposed to reflecting the vagaries of the growing season. These are not polished wines, not even wines craving to score points. They are wines that I want to buy and drink with friends. The picking commenced on 22 September after the travails of the growing season that I will not regurgitate here. Of course, the barrels were at different stages of evolution when we tasted through the crus, which Ghislaine explained was partly due to temperature variations within the cellar (for example, the section underneath the house being slightly warmer than the part underneath the garden.) What I appreciated about these wines is that they articulated the vagaries of each climat, and tasting through these wines was akin to taking a sensory tour of the appellation. So while Les Cras was stony and severe, the Beaux-Bruns is rounded and affable, the Gruenchers more standoffish and distant.

VinousFull medium red. Sexy aromas of wild red berries, crushed rock, licorice, chestnut and minerals, plus an intriguing suggestion of white fruits. Very ripe but juicy, precise and backward, showing superb inner-mouth tension to its flavors of maraschino cherry, red berries and mint. The broad finish features noble tannins.

Domaine Ghislaine Barthod er et af de mest respekterede og klassiske domæner i Chambolle-Musigny. Ejendommen blev grundlagt i slutningen af 1920’erne og blev i mange år drevet af Gaston Barthod, inden hans datter, Ghislaine, i 1980’erne trådte ind i arbejdet og gradvist satte sit eget præg. Siden 1990’erne har hun stået i spidsen for domænet, som under hendes ledelse er blevet synonymt med præcision, elegance og et kompromisløst fokus på terroir.

Domænet råder over knap seks hektar vinmarker, næsten udelukkende i Chambolle-Musigny, hvor Ghislaine arbejder med en lang række prestigefyldte Premier Cru-parceller såsom Les Fuées, Les Cras, Les Baudes, Les Véroilles, Les Charmes, Les Beaux Bruns og Les Châtelots. Vinstokkene er gamle, udbytterne holdes lave, og arbejdet i marken er præget af stor omhu og respekt for jordbundens naturlige balance.

I kælderen følger Ghislaine en traditionel og terroir-fokuseret tilgang. Druerne afstilkes delvist, gæringen sker med naturlige gærstammer, og vinene modnes i små egetræsfade, hvor kun en mindre del er nye. Resultatet er vine, der kombinerer finesse og præcision med dybde og lagringspotentiale, og som på fornemste vis udtrykker Chambolle-Musignys særlige karakter.

Vinene fra Ghislaine Barthod er i dag blandt de mest eftertragtede i Bourgogne. De fremstår rene, elegante og levende, med en sart balance mellem struktur og delikatesse, og anses ofte for at være nogle af de mest autentiske fortolkninger af Chambolle-Musigny.