Mission Codename Song #4 - In Red Bee Major
All the white Mouches (à miel) have flown away!
But we were prepared, how about RED Mouches next?
Savvy connoisseurs and those new to Burgundy alike, today is worth stopping all you’re doing and riding that checkout button. It will pay off like a hacked slot machine, 777s guaranteed all day.
Burgundy expert Jamie Goode profiles this precious Domaine - owned by Champagne Bollinger - and its hotshot winemaker best: “Chanson was founded in 1750, and still occupies their original home, although they added a new gravity-fed winery in Savigny-lès-Beaune in 2010. They are a Bourgogne negociant doing things the right way. They were purchased by Bollinger in 1999. I visited with celebrated winemaker Jean-Pierre Confuron. ‘I don’t like the term negociant,’ he says because his view is that they behave like a Domaine… ‘My job is to respect the originality of each territory,’ says Confuron… I was impressed by these wines.”
We have just a couple remaining to offer of these Chanson Grand Crus & 1er Crus, whites & reds today - all day long at 35-40% OFF - back-to-back until they sell out. We won’t crowd the site up with our own tasting notes that have scattered profanity or religious overtones that may be offensive for some readers, therefore better left to the ratings and reviews.
Storied Mouches is another SUPERB 1er Cru! This vineyard makes such good wine and is so famous that even the bees (mouches à miel) that frequent the Clos went crazy over the hanging fruit. Clos by the way is a popular wine word that originated in Burgundy, designated only for those few vineyards (Clos Vougeot, Clos de Tart, Clos de la Roche, Clos-Saint-Denis, etc.) that were so pampered by the monks who made them famous centuries ago that they built walls (clos in French) around them for protection.
Another cool tidbit about this Clos des Mouches is its proximity, both geographically and stylistically to Pommard’s 1er Crus RIGHT NEXT DOOR.
While Clos de Mouches is split equally between growing 1er Cru Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, they make a tad more of the red, so of just the 40 cases imported we got what we could, but it’s finite again.
94 Points – Wine & Spirits
“The Clos des Mouches rises up the hill at Beaune’s southern border with Pommard. Chanson’s parcel is midslope, the Pinot Noir vines facing southeast on rocky limestone and clay soils. This 2018 silenced the panel with its immediate elegance, bright and rosy, the flavors focused on juicy blackberry ripeness before deepening into layers of dark, mineral-rich tannins. Gracious as a young wine, this is tightly built and needs bottle age to fully reveal its complexities.”
92 Points – Antonio Galloni’s Vinous
“The 2018 Beaune Clos des Mouches Rouge 1er Cru easily boasts the best bouquet among Chanson’s red Beaune Premier Crus, offering well-defined blackberry and black plum fruit laced with cedar and undergrowth. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, quite deep and certainly voluminous, leading into a velvety-textured, lush finish. Drink over the next decade, possibly more. Drink 2022-2035.”
92 Points – Wine Spectator
“Effusive aromas of dark berries and toasty oak introduce this opulent red. Chalky tannins emerge as it builds on the palate, ending with some tension. Fine balance and length. Best from 2023 through 2038. 40 cases imported.”
What the Winery Says
2018 Beaune Clos des Mouches Rouge 1er Cru
- Winemaker
- Jean-Pierre Confuron
- Varietal
- 100% Pinot Noir
- Vintage
- 2018
- Alcohol
- 13.5%
- Appellation
- Beaune, Côte de Beaune, Côte d’Or, Burgundy, France
- Vineyard
- Clos des Mouches 1er Cru
- Soils
- Clay, limestone, marl
- Aging
- 14-18 months
- Barrels
- 100% Burgundian Oak