Cask sample. Dusky red fruit on the nose. Leafy and a light, lots of precision here. Attractive ripeness with a real Pinot character. Nicely done. Early drinking.
Product Description:
Domaine Hudelot-Baillet is a wine producer based in the village of Chambolle-Musigny, in Burgundy's Côte de Nuits subregion. The domaine vineyards are found predominantly within the Chambolle appellation, although it produces a range of labels, from the Grand Cru Bonnes-Mares to Bourgogne Pinot Noir and Chardonnay-based Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuits.
The domaine was established by Paul Hudelot in the 1970s although its current name dates from the early 1980s when husband-and-wife team Joël Hudelot and Chantal Baillet took over the running of the domaine. In 2004, Dominique Le Guen, the Hudelot's son-in-law, took over after having been at the winery since 1998.
Outside of 1.3 hectares (3.2 acres) of Hautes Côtes de Nuits holdings – spread in the hills to the west of Chambolle in Curtil-Vergy and the small hamlet of La Taupe – and some Bourgogne Pinot Noir immediately to the the east of Chambolle in Gilly-lès-Cîteaux, all vineyard holdings of the domaine are in Chambolle-Musigny itself.
These include 0.1 hectares (0.2 acres) in the Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru as well as 0.6 hectares (1.5 acres) in Les Charmes and 0.4 hectares (one acre) in Les Cras – both premiers crus. A further two hectares (five acres) goes into village-level Chambolle-Musigny.
The red wines are generally made with extended pre-ferment maceration (up to a week) and minimal punch-downs ("pigeage" in French), instead generally preferring to pump juice over the fermenting cap of skins. The top wines are aged in oak barriques of which around half are new oak.
