2012 Chambolle Musigny 1er 'Les Amoureuses' 0,75 l Joseph Drouhin
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Tasting notes
Tasted at the Chambolle Amoureuses vertical in London, the 2012 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru les Amoureuses has such a vivid color that sets you up for the wonderful, effervescent bouquet. "Virile" was a word that sprung immediately to mind, laden with animated maraschino and wild strawberry scents that are infused with plenty of mineralité, perhaps more than the 2010. The palate is medium-bodied and extremely cohesive. There is an effortless quality suffusing this Chambolle-Musigny, a sense of purity and transparency, while its satin-like texture will totally win you over. This is a beautiful wine. Tasted November 2015.
Critic scores
Allen Meadows, Burghound
Neal Martin
More reviews and scores
Good bright, dark red. Vibrant, perfumed aromas of raspberry, wild herbs and white pepper; smells intense. Then dense, sappy and very fine-grained on the palate, with terrific lift and inner-mouth perfume to the flavors of raspberry, white pepper, stony minerality, mint and spices. This has 2010-like tension. Finishes dry, classic and incisive, with a firm spine of sweet tannins and terrific mouthwatering length. Leaves the salivary glands quivering. Delicate, elegant and strong. This has just 3.1 grams/liter acidity, according to winemaker Jerome Faure-Brac, but I never would have guessed.
The 2012 Chambolle-Musigny Amoureuses is dark, powerful and intense, almost uncharacteristically so. This is a decidedly intense, concentrated Amoureuses with tons of depth and fewer of the feminine, sensual notes that are so typical of this site. Today, the 2012 is a bit of a brute. It will be interesting to see if time brings with it a dimension of finesse that is missing at this stage.
About the producer
Joseph Drouhin is one of the largest and most famous producers in Burgundy, making both domaine and négociant wines. It remains family-owned and run, now in the hands of the fourth generation.