2023 Chambolle Musigny Les Amoureuses

The 2023 Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses 1er Cru is quite controlled, almost taciturn on the nose compared to the far more expressive and exuberant Bonnes-Mares. Well-defined red fruit, briar and light sous-bois scents leave me wanting more. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, as sapid red fruit meets orange peel and peppery notes. The finish has a bit of sinew that time in bottle should alleviate. The 2023 is a decent rather than spectacular Les Amoureuses. As tradition dictates, I undertook a comprehensive tasting of around 100 wines from Louis Jadot at the winery in Beaune, divided into two sessions for the white and red. Readers should note that I interviewed head winemaker Frédéric Barnier. "The wines are 0.5% higher in alcohol in 2023 than 2022, but with exactly the same level of acidity," he adds, after I had filmed the video. "Everything from our own vineyards was around 13.5% while some fruit that we bought was over 14%. Many of the vines resisted excessive sugar accumulation. We introduced foudres so there is less oxygen whilst using the same level of SO2. The challenge was the purity of both the reds and the whites. The fermentation was not so easy for the latter, and we stopped the malolactic a little earlier. There is 0.8gm/L malic acid on 2022 and 1.1gm/L in 2023. There is 0.5% more alcohol but with the same acidity as the 2022."