Important Update From the Founder
Read message >
Les Amoureuses and Empurau Dinner
Jade Palace
Tasted January 15, 2018 by Paul S with 385 views
Introduction
This was one night where the food was more memorable than the wine - not least because we had the best parts of a lovely 7kg Empurau expertly cooked by the chefs at Jade Palace.
Strangely enough, I felt that the wines were just not showing all that well on through the dinner, somehow lacking the silky, seductive pleasure one would expect from Les Amoureuses save for one or two examples. Some - like the 2001 and 1998 pairs - actually felt a bit lean and mean. This was a night where Les Amoureuses showed clearly as a 1er Cru vineyard. A good one, but certainly not terroir that could pretend to Grand Cru status. The wines, though very enjoyable, were just all a bit too insubtsantial for that.
Flight 1 - MAGNUMS TO START (2 notes)
White - Sparkling
1990 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut
93 points
Not one of the best bottles I have had of the 1990, but this was still a darn good wine. A tad disjointed when first poured, it came together beautifully in the glass. The nose was classic Krug, with toast, ripe yellow fruit and matured shades of honey and caramel just starting to take the fore, and then a little hint of minerality at the sides. The palate started with the acid on one side and the fruit on the other when first poured, slowly coming together to show very wine-like, with bright acidity and very silky, barely there mousse zipping through rich flavours of yellow fruit and a bite of lemony citrus. The midpalate just felt a little diffused, before a much better finish set in with a lovely stream of minerality. All in all, not perfect, but a solid Champagne nonetheless. I cannot help feeling this would have benefitted from a good decant though.
White - Sparkling
1996 Jacquesson & Fils Champagne Grand Cru Brut Millésimé Avize
93 points
En Magnum, very nice. The nose was rich and generous - with lots of toast, yeast and ripe stone fruit with a little honeyed touch at the back of the bouquet. A fabulous nose. The palate was bright, fresh and detailed, with rich and powerful, but wonderfully balanced flavours of yellow fruit tinged with a bit of cream. Very full, very giving, yet nicely pulled in by bits of citrussy, zesty acidity and a good mineral spine. A lovely champagne with years ahead of it yet. Not the most elegant, but very delicious.
Flight 3 - 2010 / 2008 (2 notes)
Red
2010 Domaine Bertheau (Pierre et François) Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses
93 points
Absolutely beautiful. This had a gorgeous Amoureuses nose, with wafts of flowery perfume, subtle red fruit and a little stream of earthy, mineral accents. The palate was everything an Amoureuses should be, slinky, silky, seductive, with a finest rustle of tannins and wonderfully integrated acidity wrapped around a deceptively thick, rich core of dark cherries, all infused with a wonderful spiciness, with shades of florals and just that little bit of bramble and oolong tea lingering into a long, full, but ever so silky finish. Harmonious and balanced, but a tad simpler now. Another 10 years more I would say, but already very enjoyable.
1 person found this helpful
Comment
Red
2008 Domaine Robert Groffier Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses
93 points
Really nice. The nose was deeper and more complex than the Super-perfumed 2010 Bertheau Amoureuses, more of a kaleidoscope, with an earthy, spicier base, more liquered notes of dark cherries and red berries, along with nice violet flowers running behind. Lovely - a bouquet that mixed both masculine and feminine tones. The palate was lovely too. The light purity of the 2008 vintage and the elegance of the terroir wed well with the more extracted stylings of Groffier, showing in a velvety mouthful of pure red cherries and berries seasoned with flecks of spice, flowers and just a bit of bramble herb, all put together in a really fine, harmonious palate. I liked the balance on this - nice acidity, fine tannins - a good sense of structure that carried it into a decent finish. Nowhere near as silky and elegant as the Bertheau, but this seemed to have more of everything else.
Flight 4 - 2007 (2 notes)
Red
2007 Domaine G. Roumier / Christophe Roumier Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses
93 points
Far from ready, but the quality clearly showed on this. This was by some distance the tightest nose so far, but still compelling, rising out of the glass with subtle yet insistent notes of dark cherries, powdered spice and deep violet tones lined with a ferrous minerality. It was on the palate where this impressed though, full yet elegant, powerful yet pure, with silken tannins and wonderfully integrated acidity draped over incredible pure, if not quite transparent flavours of dark cherries and almost blackberry like tones, all this subtly lined by the same iron minerality picked up on the nose. On the finish, a lovely ring of spice, unripe peppers and dried florals coating the back-palate. Needs many years yet, but this is a powerhouse of an Amoureuses that will grow beautifully in the bottle.
Red
2007 Domaine Robert Groffier Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses
92 points
Good, but rather overshadowed by the 2008 version in the previous flight. The nose was really nice, with earth and peppery spice, red fruit and dried flowers, all in a rich, generous bouquet. The palate was just a little less pleasing, showing a bit more tangy and less full, with fine but firm tannins and orangey acidity lacing otherwise expressive flavours of red cherries lined with spice, earth and dried flowers into a nicely lingering finish. I found this just a tad less convincing on the palate than the other wines on show, but it was pretty good nonetheless. I would like to try this is 5-6 years though.
1 person found this helpful
Comment
Flight 5 - 2004 / 2006 (2 notes)
Red
2004 Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses
93 points
Pretty good, but not one of the greater Mugnier Amoureuses. A little touch of green menthol on the nose at first, but this blew away to reveal a lovely bouquet of rose petals, red cherries, spice and a little brambly herb. Really pretty. The palate was very generous, with silky tannins and plump, juicy acidity tracing through lithe flavours of red cherries and earthy spice, with a blush of florals filling up the mouth-filling back palate, just before the wine leaned out a bit into a minerally end. Unusually full and perhaps a hint less elegant on the finish than I would expect from a Mugnier, but otherwise very delicious indeed. Drinking well now.
1 person found this helpful
Comment
Red
2006 Joseph Drouhin Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses
92 points
Way, way too young. This had quality aplenty, and the sexy terroir was showing through, but the entire proceedings were rather overshadowed by new oak. It had a lovely nose, pretty flowers, red cherries, light touches of earth and spice, all rather flecked with a bit of vanilla. The palate also had a touch of wood, but once you got past that, there was a tremendous purity and transperancy to its elegant, slinky flavours of red cherries and berries. Pure feminine seduction. The finish was a touch full and sweet, feeling a bit plump and alcoholic, with a touch more wordiness, but there was also a pleasing dance of flower and spice flavours beyond that. Altogether, a really nice wine, but there were sloppy edges here and there. Age will help, but I am not sure how much. A nice wine though.
Flight 6 - 2002 (2 notes)
Red
2002 Maison Roche de Bellene Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses Collection Bellenum
92 points
A bit of a big boy Amoureuses - this felt a touch heavier and more plodding than the other wines to me. Still rather nice though. The nose was a rather masculine melange of earth, meat and sweeter notes of red cherry and flowers. The palate was very similar, meaty, spicy, with touches of dried flowers and sweet dark cherries, lined with a touch of fine, but chewy tannins and bright, well-integrated acidity, all this leading into an absolutely spicy finish. A nice wine, drinking well, but somewhat lacking the finesse and elegance of the other Amoureuses on show.
Red
2002 Domaine Bertheau (Pierre et François) Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses
93 points
This was so very enjoyable. It had a beautiful nose, full of flowers, dried red cherries, more savoury earth and meat, and a little ginkgo nut and spice lilt at the edges. Very attractive, if not quite as perfumed as the 2010. The palate was lovely too, if a touch more rustic in structure, with slightly powdery tannins and bright acidity framing pure, but rather simple notes of cherries, dried flowers and spice. Just a bit hollow on the back palate, leaning out into bittersweet herbs. Otherwise, drinking nicely and absolutely enjoyable.
1 person found this helpful
Comment
Flight 7 - 2001 (2 notes)
Red
2001 Domaine Robert Groffier Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses
92 points
Nowhere near as seductive as the last bottle I had, but still quite enjoyable. The nose was very Groffier, rich notes of powdery spice, dried flowers and almost dried cherries and strawberries, with an earthy base underneath. The palate was rich yet clear, with darker cherries nicely lined by mineral, earth and spice, all this gently draped with a touch of dried flowers moving into an bittersweet herb finish. A bit lean and mean at first, but it warmed up and came together quite nicely with time. Very enjoyable indeed.
Red
2001 Domaine Amiot-Servelle Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses
92 points
Very consistent over the years, but this seems to have barely budged - nice but not mind blowing. The nose was one of the tighter on the nights, with powdery herbs and bits of spice alongside blue fruit, dark cherries and a bit of flowers. The palate was pleasant rather than superb, with powdery tannins coming to the fore, shading otherwise cool flavours of blue fruit laced with a bit of flowers and spice, this leading into a slightly warmer finish. All in all, a very nice wine, drinking well now without quite hitting the heights.
Flight 8 - 1998 (2 notes)
Red
1998 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses
92 points
I kinda liked this without quite being blown away by it. The nose had a smoky, meaty masculinity to it, with stemmy flowers, ripe red fruit and a good bit of woody, brambly spice. The palate was marked by a good bit of powdery tannins, together with decent acidity coating the palate alongside decent blue fruited notes, a crunch of cherry skins and some bittersweet tannins at the end. A good bit idiosyncratic wine with quite a bit of depth on it, but lacking a touch of elegance for an Amoureuses.
Red
1998 Joseph Drouhin Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses
92 points
A nice enough end to the night. This showed a nicely pretty nose of herb, dried spice and dried cherry fruit, with floating floral notes, even potpourri drifting about. Very nice. The palate was about a step back though. Bright and juicy, with nicely lifted red fruit, but also a touch light on the midpalate, leading into a decent enough finish just kissed by a bit of savoury herb and bittersweet tannins. Nice. Not great, but enjoyable.