I am thrilled to add wines from both Chambolle-Musigny and Morey-Saint-Denis to the portfolio. They are two of my favorite villages in the Côte de Nuits, and so distinctive from each other.

Chambolle is known for its elegance. The wines are often described as the most feminine in the region, offering a delicate, silky texture and a bouquet of violets. However, they also boost an underlying power and complexity. Morey-St.-Denis, on the other hand, was once described to me as the ‘gentleman farmer’ and that has always stuck. It is the unifier between the structure and power of its northern neighbor, Gevrey-Chambertin, and its elegant neighbor to the south, Chambolle-Musigny. The wines from Morey-Saint-Denis seamlessly combines those two.

Anne and Hervé Sigaut run a family estate that dates back to the 19th century.  Maurice Sigaut, Herve’s grandfather, bottled the domaine’s first wines in the 1950s, with vines he planted himself in Chambolle-Musigny. His son, Hervé, took over his mother Andrée's vineyards in 1977, building a 5-hectare estate before absorbing his father's holdings. Winemaking, especially in Burgundy, is never an easy task, but having old vines grown in Chambolle’s limestone mother rock greatly ameliorates the process!

Anne worked her first harvest in 1984. In 1994, the domaine added a plot in Puligny-Montrachet (Enseigneres), its first vineyard in the Côte de Beaune. Anne vinified her first vintage in 2004; Hervé officially retired in 2008, and Anne has run the estate ever since. Today, the domaine farms 7 hectares across Chambolle-Musigny, Morey-Saint-Denis and Puligny-Montrachet.

“We are 100% organic from flowering on” says Anne Sigaut, “and before that, we intervene only when absolutely necessary – when it is a question of saving the harvest. We also time our work in the vineyards and cellar to follow the cycles of the moon”. Herbicides have been off the property for a decade; weeding is done by hand and by plow. Green harvests are carried out every summer on every parcel, a task assigned to an all-female team. Anne feels that because women usually have smaller hands, they can do more detailed work.

“I cannot stop working until I'm entirely satisfied," Anne says. There is no formula; the aim, every year, is mature, balanced, healthy grapes reached with as little intervention as possible. Anne adds: "Pinot Noir is a tricky variety which requires the least amount of interference as possible."

Harvest is done by hand each year, using shallow boxes so the grapes are never crushed under their own weight. Sorting starts in the vineyard and then bunches go directly onto a vibrating table for more sorting once they arrive to the winery. The grapes are de-stemmed and macerated for a week in stainless. Once pressed, they are gravity fed into barrel for ageing, never using more than 25% new oak, usually less. After 15 months of ageing, they are then racked by gravity into stainless tanks where they settle before bottling without fining or filtration

Chambolle-Musigny
The Chambolle comes from from four climats — Les Babillères (the largest share, at the base of the village toward Vougeot), Les Chardannes, Aux Croix and Aux Combottes. The average age of the vines is 35 years. It is aged in oak for 15 months, 15% of which is new.

Chambolle-Musigny "Derrière le Four"
A 0.5 hectare parcel on the hillside located at the top of Chambolle-Musigny. It sits directly behind the village church and the historic old communal oven (le four), just about 100 meters downslope from the prestigious Grand Cru vineyard, Le Musigny. This is a highly prized area where alluvial soil made of sand, clay and silt that washed down from the slope, necessitating that the vines must work hard to reach the mother rock. The vines average 45 years old. The wine is aged for 15 months in 20% new oak.

Chambolle-Musigny "Les Bussières"
0.37 hectare at the northern end of the appellation, just below 1er Cru Les Sentiers, on the border with Morey-St-Denis. It shares the same elevation and exposition as Morey’s premier cru vineyards. Old vines averaging 60 years, farmed with the attention of a premier cru. Aged with 30% new oak, the highest proportion in the village-level range.

Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru "Les Groseilles"
0.30 hectare on the lower part of the slope near 1er Cru Les Chatelots. The soil is a shallow, stoney mix of clay and limestone (calcareous clay). The topsoil is notably rich in pebbles, gravel, and red silt, which rests on a deep bed of hard Jurassic limestone bedrock that allows vine roots to drill deep for nutrients. Aged for 15 months in 20% new oak.

Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru "Les Fuées"
0.5 hectare across three plots, two of which adjoin the Grand Cru Bonnes-Mares, at the top of the northern part of the appellation with good exposure. It lies at the same altitude as Bonnes Mares at 280-300 meters above sea level. The term ‘Fuee” refers to the size of a vineyard that a man can hoe in one day. Vines average 35 years old and are aged for 15 months in 30% new oak.

Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru "Les Sentiers"
A 0.67 hectare parcel, this is the domaine's oldest parcel and its flagship cuvée. Planted in 1947, the vines now average 70-years-old. Located in the northern part of the appellation below Grand Cru Bonnes-Mares, on clay-rich soil with limestone from multiple geological eras. Aged for 15 months in 30% new oak.

Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru "Les Millandes"
This 0.33 hectares sits near the village. Millandes is considered one of the appellation's top premiers crus, in direct line with neighboring Clos Saint-Denis. The old vines yield small, concentrated berries. The wine is aged for 15 months in 30% new oak.