Description
Niellon’s Chassagne-Montrachet Rouge is a fantastic example of what this village, with its clay soils, can do with pinot noir. In the past the village was better known for reds than whites, but commercial pressures have seen many of the red vines replaced with chardonnay. That’s a shame, judging by this wine; it has deep red cherry fruit, a smoky dimension and great length and finesse. Drinks well young but in the past Chassagne Rouge was known for its excellent ability to age.
Bursting with aromas of spiced cherries, plums and loamy soil, Niellon’s 2018 Chassagne-Montrachet Rouge is medium to full-bodied, rich and layered, built around ripe but youthfully chewy tannins cloaked in a fleshy core of fruit. One of the Côte de Beaune’s values, it is well worth seeking out.
William Kelley, Wine Advocate January 2020
About the Domaine
Where it all began – Robert’s first ever ex cellar purchase of Burgundy was here, 40 years ago. We have followed the domaine ever since.
The name of Niellon is one of the most established in Chassagne. Michel joined his father Marcel in the 1950s and began to domaine bottle all of their wines in the ‘60s. They soon built a reputation as one of Chassagne’s finest domaines, growing from the original 4ha to today’s 7.5ha holdings. The wines are now made by Michel’s son-in-law, Michel Coutoux, who continue to uphold the domaine’s reputation for the highest quality. No herbicides are used, ploughing is carried out to control weeds and a ‘lutte raisonnée’ approach is followed to combat mildew and other vineyard maladies. Picking is early, they want to retain acidity and freshness in the grapes. Fermentations take place in stainless steel before the wines are transferred to barrique, 20-30% new, for malolactic fermentation and ageing. Robert’s first ever ex-cellar purchase of Burgundy was here, five dozen Chassagne village in 1981 and we have worked with the domaine continuously since; with Michel’s Grandson Mathieu Bresson now joining the team and quality rising ever higher we look forward to the next 39 years!
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