The 2005 Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses offers a lovely aromatic melange of ripe red cherry, raspberry, buddleia, orange zest, and ginger in the nose. It is juicy and refined, with the tannins melting away and the palate registering almost a white wine impression, richly-saturating and yet lilting, and with a sorbet-like presentation of black raspberry. This almost ethereal Chambolle finishes with startlingly vivid florality, sweet berry fruit and spice, with just a subtle suggestion of marrow. (None of the Mugnier 2005s register strong animal or meaty characteristics at this early stage.)
Frederic Mugnier works from a just-expanded and superbly appointed cellar, and a tasting of his 2004s confirms that he is scoring hits even when Nature does not make it easy as she did the following year. Mugnier advocates unusually late but limited pigeage. “After all,” he opines, “we take great care not to crush the berries, so it doesn’t make sense to do an early pigeage and break them,” and late punch-down further extends the fermentation.
Various Importers. A Becky Wasserman Selection, Le Serbet; fax 011- 333-80-24-29-70.