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| The 10 bottles of Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses |
16 Feb 2013: Regardless of the real origin of the name of this climat, we couldn't all help falling for the romantic ring to the name of Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses. Our Les Amoureuses dinner took place 2 days after Valentine's Day! We chose to do this at a private kitchen called Gong Guan, so that we could be left in peace to taste the wines in any order we felt like. The food at Gong Guan was usually quite decent, in particular the appetisers of Chinese yellow marrow, cucumbers, eggplants and bean curd, the Chinese mushroom infused chicken broth, the steamed fish wrapped with rice flour and string mushrooms, the very tasty signature salt-baked chicken and the stir-fried organic red rice dish (we were all less keen on the over-powering braised pork belly dish which tasted too sweet, sour and spirity from the hua diao used in the cooking). The only disadvantage was the lack of proper glassware. Robin very kindly sourced some from his friend's wine shop around the corner. Next time, I should remember to qualify the term 'BYO' as bringing your own wine and glass(es)! My tasting notes on the wines:
All Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses:
2010 Maison Roche de Bellene: Pale ruby. A lovely perfume of raspberry, redcurrant, with some spice. Palate showed a much more delicate frame and structure, slightly lacking in complexity, concentration and depth. A pretty wine, with nice fruit purity, freshness and balance. Not sure if further bottle age will add some weight and complexity to this wine. Not at all a crime to drink now! Drink till 2020+. 16.5/20
2009 Groffier: A rather reduced nose that took a few minutes to blow off. Already showing a nicely evolved complex bouquet of raspberry and spicy cinnamon notes, layered with earthy, savoury, mocha and mushroom nuances. Lively acidity and fine-grained tannin giving this a medium-sized frame. An elegant Amoureuses that delivers finesse and complexity, if a little short on depth and finish, that seems to have avoided the over-ripeness of the vintage. Quite classy. Again, given the degree of evolution this bottle is showing, can definitely be enjoyed now, but will probably benefit from a couple more years in bottle. 17/20
2009 François Bertheau: Much deeper in colour than the Groffier. A more intense and riper nose of blackberry, blueberry, plum, mocha and cinnamon spice. The mid-palate took a bit of aeration to come into shape. More opulent in body and velvety in texture, with broader, riper and better integrated tannin than the Groffier. Perhaps less 'classic' in style than the other wines of the evening, but certainly a very well-made wine with the material to age for a decade plus. 17.5/20
2007 Roumier: A more subtle and classic nose here, almost aristocratic. Floral, red fruit, earthy and spicy. A cool and firm structure that needs time to develop. Restrained, but stylish, with a minerality that coats the palate. There is finesse and detail, but without the weight or concentration at this point. Finishes long. 17.5+/20
2004 Moine-Hudelot: Compared to the others, much looser in the structure, but well-balanced, if rather lacking in complexity and concentration. Finishes short. A fully mature wine that perhaps should have been drunk earlier? 15/20
2002 Mugnier: A very expressive nose of plum, red fruit, mocha, chocolate and Asian spices. Harmoniously integrated, giving a lush and velvety texture to the mouthfeel, with palate-coating intense spicy flavours and firm acidity. Finishes extremely long. Really gorgeous wine, that is just perfect to enjoy now and over next 8 - 10 years! 18/20
2000 Groffier: Slight reduction at the beginning that took a litle while to blow off. A nicely matured bottle of Amoureuses, with a mature bouquet of plum, leather, violet and spice. Very supple on the palate, that delivers complexity and a nice long finish. Drinking at peak now and over next 5 -6 years! 17.5/20
1999 Mugnier: This is a very classy Amoureuses for me. A very floral and elegant bouquet, with violet, pot pourri, plum, spicy and toasty vanilla notes. The palate shows more spice and earthy notes. I really like the mid-weight frame with backbone of firm but nicely integrated tannin and vibrant acidity. A very long minerally finish! This is drinking at peak now, and over next 10+ years. 18.5/20
1998 de Vogüé: A very impressive effort for the vintage. Very stylish bouquet of toast, smoke, spice, kirsch and plum. Plenty of concentration and density on the mouth-coating palate. A very precisely made wine, with an understated elegance. Drinking perfectly now, and over next 8 - 10 years. 18/20
1997 de Vogüé: A funky farmyardy mature nose. Structure is rather loose compared to the 1998, but supple on the palate and there is a nice mid-length finish. Nice, but not too memorable. Drink now! 17/20
There was also a 2002 Drouhin which was sadly corked. Not bad on the statistics, one cork-tainted bottle out of 10! Better than another recent dinner, when we had 2 corked bottles and 1 oxidised bottle, out of 9 bottles!
In our ebullient state towards the end of the evening, we took a poll on the best wines of the evening and the best 3 turned out to be: 2002 Mugnier, 1999 Mugnier and 1998 de Vogüé.
As I am such a slow taster, I think for me an optimum number of people for these tastings should be around 8. I did want to go back to re-taste the Mugniers and they were all gone! In any case, a very memorable evening and a very educational experience, thanks to everyone's generosity!
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