Wine Advisor
Jacques Frederic Mugnier, Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses 2011
View analysis
Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
In 2011, the Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses is unusually cool and restrained, with slightly firm tannins and less of the early appeal it so often shows. Here it is the purity of the fruit that is simply remarkable. Flowers, savory herbs, sweet red berries and mint add nuance as the 2011 continues to open up in the glass.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2011 Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses 1er Cru has a finely tuned, quite detailed bouquet with rose petals and violets infusing the blueberry and crushed strawberry aromas. It has the charm and sensuality one seeks from this auspicious vineyard. The palate is medium-bodied with supple, fine grain tannin. This feels sleek and sensual in the mouth, although it does not possess the depth and structure of a top-drawer example from this propitious vineyard. Drinking beautifully now, I would consume this within the next decade. Tasted at Flint Wines Burgundy 2011 tasting.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Good bright, dark red. Inviting nose combines strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, pepper and exotic flowers. Silky and fine-grained, with berry and floral flavors energized by musky herbs and a youthfully bitter peppery element. Spreads out and builds on the vibrant back end, but this backward wine is in an awkward stage today.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
(racked in June): Good deep, bright red. Black raspberry and musky chocolate on the nose. Silky and thick; a step up in texture and richness from the Bonnes-Mares even if it can't match the verve of the 2010 version. Seamless and chocolatey in the middle palate, then distinctly austere on the firmly tannic, long finish, which shows a medicinal menthol quality. This needs another racking.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted blind at the Burgundy 2011 horizontal tasting in Beaune. After a misfiring bottle in Holland, it is pleasing to find what I feel is a more representative example. Here, the Chambolle-Musigny les Amoureuses ‘11 has a precise and delineated bouquet with touches of seaweed infusing the red and black fruit. It is more reserved than other Amoureuses but no less compelling. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannins, outstanding tension and a very focused, mineral-laden finish that is quite conservative and almost austere. But still, it should repay 3-4 years in bottle and then continue to deliver long after.
About the Producer
Domaine Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier is a Burgundian wine producer based in Chambolle-Musigny. It is particularly well-known for its Musigny Grand Cru wine which is regarded as a benchmark for that vineyard. While the estate is most closely associated with Pinot Noir wines from Chambolle-Musigny, it has 10 hectares (25 acres) of vineyards in Nuits-Saint-Georges as well. The Château de Chambolle-Musigny has been owned by the Mugnier family since 1863. From 1950, as there was no winemaker in the family, the vineyards were contracted out to Faiveley and Bruno Clair, with the latter selling the wine in bulk. Between 1985 and 2004, Frédéric Mugnier was able to take back the vineyards as leases expired. On top of the Musigny Grand Cru, Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier makes a wine from the Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru vineyard, as well as two premier cru wines, Les Fuées and Les Amoureuses, and a village-level wine. From the Nuits-Saint-Georges holdings, Mugnier makes a Clos des Fourches premier cru wine, and a red and a white premier cru from the Clos de la Maréchale vineyard, which is a monopole of the domaine. Vineyards are farmed without herbicides or pesticides and just two mildew treatments per year. Grapes are de-stemmed and whole berries are fermented in old open wooden vats. After around 16 months in oak, wines are bottled without fining and filtration.
