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Wine Description
The Story
Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé has remained by inheritance in the same family since 1450. Twenty generations enlarged and enriched this family estate whose stewardship continues with Claire de Causans and Marie de Ladoucette. They themselves are grand-daughters of the legendary Comte Georges de Vogüé who inherited the estate in 1925 and ran it for over 50 years; His daughter Elisabeth, Baronne Bertrand de Ladoucette, managed the estate from the early 1980s until 2002, and it was under her tenure that was established the new executive team that exists today - Eric
Bourgogne, Chef de Culture in 1996, François Millet, Maître de Chai and Oenologue in
1986, and Jean-Luc Pépin, Sales Director in 1988.
The apex of Millet’s portfolio at Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé is the 7 hectares of Musigny Grand Cru. Great care is taken with the production of the noble grape, with only the oldest vines — a total of 3.8 hectares — used to produce wine with the most consistency and depth of character. In most vintages only 900 or so cases of the Musigny comes to market; the result is a wine to be sought out and treasured.
Millet works alongside Jean-Luc Pepin, who runs the Domaine and Eric Bourgogne, who tends the vines. It is a triumvirate that produces outstanding results vintage upon vintage and has enabled the domaine to recover its reputation in recent years. In 1925 the estate was inherited by the Comte Georges de Vogüé and, until the early 60’s, fabulous wines were crafted from the plots under his ownership in Chambolle. The Comte’s absence from Burgundy in the 60’s and 70’s saw quality levels slide and it is the current team that have maintained a celebrated level of quality under the ownership of the Comte’s granddaughters since the early 80’s. Winemaking at the Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé is like a conversation, with the wines matching Millet’s lyrical poeticism with structure, energy and a complex cornucopia of flavours.
Vintage 1996
1996 VINTAGE in Burgundy
Maturity levels were in general high following a long hot summer. The wines from the famous Pinot Noir have an intense ruby red colour with lush red fruit aromas. They are wines that are comparable with the outstanding 88s and 89s. The whites are just as outstanding full-bodied with elegant vibrant Chardonnay fruit and sweet white flower and grilled nut aromas. These are wines that have the potential to age magnificently.
Each harvest we hope for three things, favorable weather conditions, healthy grape clusters and high sugar levels. The 1996 harvest provided all of these. April was particularly sunny and brought about an early bud burst (18th of April). Following this we had what can be described as a flash flowering which leads to good pollination, creating high yields.
Arean had low rainfall levels, a sturdy breeze (which kept rot to a minimum) and a long ripening period. These factors created high sugar levels and good acidity within the grapes. Cloud cover in August, combined with the coldest September on record meant that the sugar levels were exceptionally high and so was the acidity: 12% potential alcohol with 5.5g of acidity for Corton Reds and 13%-14% potential alcohol with 6g of acidity for Corton Charlemagne.
As a result, most are very pleased with the 1996 vintage. The reds have an intense color, good tannin structure and concentrated Pinot Noir flavor. The white wines are also impressive, containing plenty of rich fruit character, a crisp acidity and are already showing an attractive bouquet.
