Le Musigny
Encyclopedia
Musigny, sometimes referred to as Le Musigny, is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée
(AOC) and Grand Cru vineyard
for red and white wine in Côte de Nuits
of Burgundy
. It is located within the commune of Chambolle-Musigny
, to the south of the village itself. It borders on the Grand Cru Clos de Vougeot in the southeast, to Échezeaux
in the south, and to the Premier Cru Les Amoureuses in the northeast. The name is derived from a family de Musigny which is now extinct, but which held offices in the court of the Dukes of Burgundy from the 14th century. The AOC was created in 1936, but the borders of Musigny were previously set down legally in 1929.
Musigny is the only Grand Cru vineyard in Côte de Nuits for white wine as well as red, although the production of red wine dominates by over 90 per cent. All the other Burgundy Grand Crus for white wine are located in Côte de Beaune
.
for red Musigny, and Chardonnay
for white Musigny. The AOC regulations also allow up to 15 per cent total of Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc
and Pinot Gris
as accessory grapes in the red wine, but this is practically never used for any Burgundy Grand Cru vineyard. The allowed base yield
is 35 hectoliter per hectare for red wine and 40 hl/ha for white wine, a minimum planting density of 9,000 vines per hectare is required as well as a minium grape maturity of 11.5 per cent potential alcohol for red wine and 12.0 per cent for white wine.
Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée
Appellation d’origine contrôlée , which translates as "controlled designation of origin", is the French certification granted to certain French geographical indications for wines, cheeses, butters, and other agricultural products, all under the auspices of the government bureau Institut National...
(AOC) and Grand Cru vineyard
Vineyard
A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...
for red and white wine in Côte de Nuits
Côte de Nuits
The Côte de Nuits is a French wine region located in the northern part of the Côte d'Or, the limestone ridge that is at the heart of the Burgundy wine region. It extends from Dijon to just south of Nuits-Saint-Georges, which gives its name to the district and is the regional center...
of Burgundy
Burgundy wine
Burgundy wine is wine made in the Burgundy region in eastern France, in the valleys and slopes west of the Saône River, a tributary of the Rhône. The most famous wines produced here - those commonly referred to as "Burgundies" - are red wines made from Pinot Noir grapes or white wines made from...
. It is located within the commune of Chambolle-Musigny
Chambolle-Musigny
Chambolle-Musigny is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France.It is one of the wine villages situated on the Côte-d'Or escarpment, and is one of the twelve Cote d'Or communes of France which added/adopted the name of their most well-known vineyard as a suffix to the original name of...
, to the south of the village itself. It borders on the Grand Cru Clos de Vougeot in the southeast, to Échezeaux
Échezeaux
Échezeaux is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée and Grand Cru vineyard for red wine in the Côte de Nuits subregion of Burgundy, with Pinot Noir as the main grape variety. Échezeaux is located within the commune of Flagey-Echézeaux, on a strip of land between the territory of the communes...
in the south, and to the Premier Cru Les Amoureuses in the northeast. The name is derived from a family de Musigny which is now extinct, but which held offices in the court of the Dukes of Burgundy from the 14th century. The AOC was created in 1936, but the borders of Musigny were previously set down legally in 1929.
Musigny is the only Grand Cru vineyard in Côte de Nuits for white wine as well as red, although the production of red wine dominates by over 90 per cent. All the other Burgundy Grand Crus for white wine are located in Côte de Beaune
Côte de Beaune
The Côte de Beaune area is the southern part of the Côte d'Or, the limestone ridge that is home to the great names of Burgundy wine. The Côte de Beaune starts between Nuits-Saint-Georges and Beaune, and extends southwards for about 25 km to the River Dheune...
.
Production
In 2008, 10.32 hectares (25.5 acre) of vineyard surface was in production within the Musigny AOC, and 307 hectoliter of wine was produced, of which 284 hectoliter red wine and 23 hectoliter white wine. Some 0.66 hectares (1.6 acre) was used for the white wines. The amount produced corresponds to 41,000 bottles; 38,000 bottles of red wine and slightly over 3,000 bottles of white wine.AOC regulations
The main grape varieties are Pinot NoirPinot Noir
Pinot noir is a black wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes...
for red Musigny, and Chardonnay
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is a green-skinned grape variety used to make white wine. It is originated from the Burgundy wine region of eastern France but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand...
for white Musigny. The AOC regulations also allow up to 15 per cent total of Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc
Pinot Blanc
Pinot blanc is a white wine grape. It is a point genetic mutation of Pinot noir. Pinot noir is genetically unstable and will occasionally experience a point mutation in which a vine bears all black fruit except for one cane which produced white fruit....
and Pinot Gris
Pinot Gris
Pinot gris is a white wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. Thought to be a mutant clone of the Pinot noir grape, it normally has a grayish-blue fruit, accounting for its name but the grape can have a brownish pink to black and even white appearance...
as accessory grapes in the red wine, but this is practically never used for any Burgundy Grand Cru vineyard. The allowed base yield
Yield (wine)
In viticulture, the yield is a measure of the amount of grapes or wine that is produced per unit surface of vineyard, and is therefore a type of crop yield...
is 35 hectoliter per hectare for red wine and 40 hl/ha for white wine, a minimum planting density of 9,000 vines per hectare is required as well as a minium grape maturity of 11.5 per cent potential alcohol for red wine and 12.0 per cent for white wine.