88-90 Pts David Schildknecht - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

"The 2005 Cote de Nuits Villages - like the Bourgogne, grown around Comblanchien - offers a more tart fruit impression than that wine, with salty, resinous overtones. Lively freshness of cherry and plum, along with fruit skin tartness and saline minerality, make for an invigorating finish." 88-90 Points - David Schildknecht - Wine Advocate

DOMAINE:
"We first began working with the family Chopin in the 1987 vintage, with Daniel Chopin of Domaine Chopin-Groffier in Comblanchien. Daniel's daughter soon married vigneron Hubert Chauvenet, forming the Domaine Chauvenet-Chopin. The two families combined their vineyard holdings, many of them planted with very old vines, with eight hectares from the Chopin side adding to the nine already owned by Chauvenet. Daniel continued to work along side and help his son-in-law until 1996, when he officially 'retired'. Daniel is still helping out in the vineyards, but Hubert is now solely responsible for the winemaking."

"Continuing in the style of his father-in-law, Hubert is crafting classic wines with fine delicacy of fruit and rich complexity. The barrel regiment Hubert uses includes a little more new oak than before, but not too much. Roughly one-third new barrels are used for the Village and Premier Crus, and up to two-thirds for the Grand Cru. Always supple, opulent, seductive, and fruit-driven, the offerings from Chauvenet-Chopin are friendly, smile-inducing wines."

APPELLATION:
"The Appellation of Cote de Nuits Villages encompasses the villages of Premeaux, Prissey, Comblanchien and Corgoloin just south of Nuits-Saint-Georges which have yet to achieve their own AC status. The vineyards of these four villages benefit from east-facing hill-slopes which act as a sun-trap to create maximum ripeness in the grapes. The complex soil composition of these villages include varying proportions of marl and shaley clays which produce wines of great character and charm." -Importer