Clean, bright medium coloured, clear at the rim. The nose has depth, initially with a hint of must – I’ll come back to it. In the mouth this is clean, indeed has cleansing acidity but without being tart. It seems linear and a little dilute – only in the mid-palate does it begin to unfold and deliver waves of decently intense flavour. By now the nose has tidied up and there’s a hint of pyrazine, but it’s more coal than coal-tar and adds an interesting dimension, another hour on and it smells fabulous with perfect red berries over a faintly musky base. So, this is silky and subtle, but with clean and long-lasting flavours and just the right amount of ‘sweet’. It is a very elegant lady who has retained quite some of her good looks – I really enjoyed spending the evening with her!
Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses
2009 Bichot Albert Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses
2008 Bichot Albert Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses
2007 Serveau Bernard Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses
2006 Serveau Bernard Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses
Well, I’m glad it wasn’t me! Not a trace of volatility here, just very pretty fruit – a raspberry conserve, perhaps with a little mint-leaf. Full and impressive over the tongue, round with fine tannin. The finish is clean as a bell – just lovely wine. Given the domaine’s tarif, no surprise that this one is sold-out!
1998 Serveau Bernard Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses
All I know is that a burgundy shape half-bottle has been decanted. This is very pale, almost salmon pink. The nose is dominated by volatile acidity and esters, much more-so than my recent 72. In the mouth those aromas can still be tasted, but only as a pale backdrop to a sweet core of ripe strawberry fruit, nice enough acidity and almost no tannin to speak of. I don’t mess around – I think it’s a decent 78 Beaune 1er that’s heading for the downslope (assuming it’s not a rhone!). Well I got the ‘8′ and the 1er cru correct, but I’m amazed to see it’s a 1998. It’s tasty and doesn’t smell too bad as the VA moves into the background (~30mins), but clearly this is a wine to ‘drink-up’.
2007 Potel Nicolas Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses
2007 Comte Georges de Vogüé Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses
Not a wine you get to taste very often due to its relatively small production. The nose is a little darker and starts deeper than the 1er cru, and is accented with rose petals. There’s a soft and welcoming texture and a creamy underpinning to the fruit. Good density at the core. Flavourful, beautifully balanced and very fine.
2006 Gambal Alex Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses
Started high-toned and diffuse – ouch, what’s happened here? – but 10 minutes in and the glass brings an ever-widening and ever-deepening palate of notes; deep, full, lightly sugar-coated cherries, swirling releases higher tones too – that’s more like it! In the mouth the first sip is also a little disconcerting, but following the path set by the nose, it fills out very nicely indeed – a broad range of flavours that amply fill the mouth. The fruit has none of the slightly distracting savoury element found in the Chambolle Charmes, but seems just a hint less ripe (no issue, just an observation), like-wise the tannin is finer, but clings a little harder to your gums as you exit the mid-palate for the finish – it just about falls short of being called astringent – how about astringent-ish(?) Very long, though just now much of that length is barrel flavour. A very different kettle of fish to the 2005 which was a fulsome and brazen ‘drink me now’ type of wine – this one should be allowed to slumber – if I had any more ‘bottles’ I’d make another test in about 2016, but I don’t, so the magnums will have to wait until 2020!