Wine Advisor
Georges Roumier, Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses 2017
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: William Kelley
The 2017 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses is utterly charming, bursting with aromas of rose petals, violets, raspberries and blood orange. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, supple and satiny, tenderly caressing the palate after the denser, more broad-shouldered Bonnes-Mares. With a pure core of fragrant fruit and supple structuring tannins, it's the quintessential Amoureuses. I suspect it will gain in depth and mass with further barrel and bottle age.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2017 Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses 1er Cru had already been blended when I visited the domaine in November. It has a glorious bouquet that is quintessential Amoureuses: mainly red fruit tinged with blueberry, and then incense and crushed violets. Not as powerful as some vintages, but it oozes refinement. The palate shows exquisite balance, filigreed tannin and a texture so silky it belongs in a lingerie department. There is just the right amount of salinity toward the finish, which feels like a ballerina en pointe. A masterclass in how to articulate Les Amoureuses, courtesy of Christophe Roumier. Magnificent.
About the Producer
The domaine was founded in 1924 by Georges Roumier, who began domaine bottling in 1945. He was succeeded in 1957 by his son Jean-Marie and now grandson Christophe, who joined his father in 1982 and took over completely in 1992. Most of the wines are rented (en fermage) from family members although Ruchottes Chambertin is held on a share cropping deal with an external proprietor, Michel Bonnefond. The wines are seductively fruity in their youth yet with excellent ageing potential. The grapes are sorted in the vineyard, with a table de tri at the winery since 2003. They are mostly destemmed, albeit depending on vineyard and vintage, with a few more stems being used recently – then placed in wooden fermenters. The juice is given a cool soak at 15° then allowed to start naturally. The juice is punched down twice a day and temperature controlled so as not to exceed 32°C. There is no great reliance on new wood in the maturation cellar, with 15-25% being used for village wines, 25-40% for premiers crus and no more than 50% for Bonnes Mares. In recent years Christophe has been searching for, and achieving, a greater sense of precision in his wines.
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