2009 Chambolle Musigny Les Amoureuses

The 2009 Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureses is sweet, layered and totally beautiful. At the same time, it is pretty clear the wine has already begun to shut down. With time in the glass, some of the typical weightless energy of Amoureuses comes through, but despite its considerable appeal, the wine is showing only a fraction of its ultimate potential. I imagine the 2009 will enjoy a long drinking window once it awakens from its current slumber.

The 2009 Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureses is sweet, layered and totally beautiful. At the same time, it is pretty clear the wine has already begun to shut down. With time in the glass, some of the typical weightless energy of Amoureuses comes through, but despite its considerable appeal, the wine is showing only a fraction of its ultimate potential. I imagine the 2009 will enjoy a long drinking window once it awakens from its current slumber. Anticipated maturity: 2019-2039. Frederic Mugnier insists that his 2009s will outlive his 2010s. Tasting these 2009s from bottle, it hard to argue with that view. A Becky Wasserman Selection, Le Serbet, various American importers, including: Martin Scott Wines, Little Neck, NY; tel. (516) 327-0808; Veritas Imports, Beverly Hills, CA; tel. (310) 205-3803; Toepfer Imports LLC, CO; tel. (303) 818-7640

A strikingly spicy and sexy nose of ripe black cherry and raspberry liqueur aromas leads to silky-textured, pure and beautifully delineated mineral-inflected flavors that culminate in a driving, tension-filled and gorgeously harmonious finish. While aromatically showy and impressively complex, the overall feel of this wine is quite understated with an equanimity that is quite Zen-like. Fantastic...Frédéric Mugnier described the 2009 as having a "relatively straightforward growing season save for some early hail in Bonnes Mares and Fuées. It cost me some quantity but otherwise, there wasn't much if any of qualitative impact. I started the harvest on the 10th of September and brought in extremely clean fruit so there really wasn't much sorting required. The fruit was extremely ripe with potential alcohols ranging from 13.5 to 14.5%. I did my usual vinification with 100% destemming. In terms of the wines, they strike me as a mix of 2003 and 1990, which is to say the ripeness of the former with the balance of the latter." Mugnier departed substantially from the large majority of his colleagues when the subject of longevity arose, quipping that "2009 will be a great vintage when it's old as it will easily be capable of lasting 50 years. The only problem is that when it's old, I will be dead." I further asked about how he viewed 2009 versus 2005 and I was surprised to hear that Mugnier believes that his '09s are more concentrated than his '05s. *Outstanding*