Compared to the Brunello, this Chambolle-Musigny was a cherry bomb! Bright, deep ruby in colour, we didn't decant or aerate it but the wine was bursting with lifted aromas of ripe, macerated red cherries, sweet incense, cinnamon, vanilla pods and a light touch of tobacco. Sweet oak tones, fennel pollen and really ripe red fruits permeated our retronasal space with every sip, punctuated occasionally by some light, lifted citrus accents and earthy tones. Thankfully its sufficiently high acid managed to hold the wine's equilibrium in place, keeping its vivacity alive without being overwhelmingly powerful.
One of the more important Premier Cru vineyards in the appellation of Chambolle-Musigny, Sigaut's holdings are located in the Northern strip just adjacent to the Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru site. Its high clay content tend to produce a more flamboyant, expressive style of Pinot Noir and it was also evident here that the grapes picked might have been quite ripe. These vines were planted in 1947 so they are now pretty old (hence the term Vieilles Vignes), and the grape clusters produced will be much, much smaller in size and yield, and invariably more concentrated in flavours.
While this may not be a red Burg that will appeal to the snobbish, pretentious, "atas" crowd who only want to drink the ethereal, light as feather and auction-only bottles, this Les Sentiers offers great value to those who prefer the more robust style of wine, and are learning about Burgundy and French Pinot Noir. Our dear friend, C, who is a die-hard traditional Bordeaux drinker, thought this was going to be a diluted, watery and tasteless affair but was pleasantly surprised after taking a sip, exclaiming excitedly "is this Pinot Noir? How is that possible!".
Still a very young wine, and in our humble opinion, a well-made, down to earth and honest one that has the substance to go the distance. If one has the patience to let this wine mature gracefully in the cellar, the wine will offer much drinking pleasure in the next 10 years or more.
