Wine Advisor
Robert Groffier, Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses 2014
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
(vinified with 50% whole clusters): Bright dark red. Pure but subdued aromas of dark berries, menthol, red licorice and spices. Youthfully imploded and a bit medicinal in the early going but still with a smooth texture to its smoky, soil-driven flavors. Nicolas Groffier mentioned that this wine is typically woody at the bottling but today the oak doesn't bother me. Finishes savory and long, with substantial granular tannins and a suggestion of chocolatey ripeness. Still, I don't fine the éclat or flavor definition for a higher score. Incidentally, the Groffiers are now sealing their bottles with wax capsules.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
(from 70 year-old-vines; vinified with 50% whole clusters and aged in 50% new oak): Healthy dark red. Aromatic nose combines blackberry, cassis and menthol. Concentrated, densely packed and dark; less expressive than the Bonnes-Mares today, conveying an impression of lower acidity but stronger tannins. A distinctly powerful, dark-fruit style of Amoureuses, this will need time in bottle to harmonize. My sample began a bit brutal but settled down with air, spreading out to saturate the palate and gaining in silkiness. The clay in the soil here gives more flesh and thickness, says Groffier.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2014 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses, from 80-year-old vines, includes 50% whole bunch fruit and is matured in 50% new oak. It is interesting to compare this with the Bonnes-Mares; this is perhaps more serious, a little more saturnine (which is unusual for this vineyard), with touches of cold flint tincturing the blackberry and blueberry aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, but there is real solidity here, the acidity well judged with a gentle grip on the saline finish. It clearly needs several years in bottle but it will be worth the wait.
About the Producer
The Groffier family are among the best wine makers in the Côte de Nuits. Originally founded by Robert Groffier’s father, Jules in the 1950s, the domaine is now run by Robert’s grandson, Nicolas. The domaine consists of almost 8 ha of fine vineyards, including 1 ha of Bonnes Mares, almost 0.5 ha of Chambertin Clos de Bèze and a full 1 ha of Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses (the biggest single owner of this vineyard). The wine making technique is flexible and the proportion of stems to be retained is decided annually. nowadays, up to 20% of stems are retained, compared to 50% 20 years ago. The destemed grapes are transferred to stainless steel vats without crushing and cooled to 10-12 degrees so the natural yeast fermentation starts 4-5 days later – to allow further extraction of colour from the skins. Frequent short pigeages are done, and the temperature is allowed to rise up to 35 degrees – which retains even more colour to the liquid. After 17-20 days maceration, the temperature descends to 20-22 degrees and after pressing age in oak, the percentage of new one vary per cuvée and vintage – from none to the Bourgogne to up to 100% for the grand crus. The wines are only racked once, usually only a year after the vintage. The wines return to vat as the new vintage is put into barrel, so only one vintage is in barrel at any time. The wines are bottled without fining or filtration.
