Tasted at the Chambolle Amoureuses vertical in London, the 2008 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru les Amoureuses is more youthful in color than the 2007. Here we have plenty of ripe strawberry mixed with damp earth, allspice and a hint of black truffle. The palate has a gorgeous sense of roundness on the entry, a little lower in acidity than I expected, plenty of clove-infused red berry fruit, very refined and elegant with a harmonious finish that exudes real class. It deserves a pat on the back for the sheer length on display here - just superb. Tasted November 2015.

Lily-like floral perfume, brown spices, and black fruit confiture in the nose of the Drouhin 2008 Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses lead to a sweet, lush palate, complemented by vanilla and subtle caramel from barrel. Fine-grained tannins and an insistent, yet only subtly tart, fresh fruit skin edge offer counterpoint to the sheer sucrosity of fruit, and this finishes with an uncanny combination of caress and stimulation. It needs only to gain on mineral and carnal axes to reveal itself as truly profound Amoureuses. I would not hesitate to harbor some of this in the cellar for 15 or more years in hope of yet-richer rewards. “2008 was very slow in doing its malolactic – which was good, and ended up with a pretty lively impression of acidity” remarked Veronique Boss-Drouhin, “and I think the wines will be slow to evolve in bottle, as well.” Numerous cuvees were still in tank or barrel when I visited in March, which constitutes an unusually late schedule at this address. The 2007s, by contrast, were bottled even earlier than normal, most at age 12 months. In 2008, a 15-25% share of stems and whole clusters was included in the fermenting vat for the Clos des Mouches and for most of the Drouhin grand crus, whereas in 2007 that degree of vendange entier was practically the rule across the entire Drouhin range (by no means all of which I tasted).Importer: Dreyfus-Ashby & Co., New York, NY; tel. (212) 818-0770

With its fine tannic structure, plum juice sweetness and beautifully ripe fruits, this is a wine that combines structure with a rich velvet coat. The acidity gives a fine lift, bringing out strawberries and a final piercing freshness.——R.V.(12/31/2010)—— 94