2013 Maison Joseph Drouhin Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses 1er Cru

Medium red. Musky strawberry, raspberry and underbrush on the wild nose and palate. Brisk, dry and light on its feet, offering lovely inner-mouth perfume and lift. The sexy underbrush quality carries through on the palate. Finishes dry and perfumed, with lovely floral persistence.

The 2013 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru les Amoureuses was picked on October 8-9, and contains 5% whole-cluster fruit. There are two 500 liter barrels, one new and one used. It has a gorgeous nose already: very floral and exuberant, very sensual with pure crème de cassis and blueberry scents. The palate is medium-bodied with very good structure, supremely well-judged acidity and enthralling harmony and precision toward the finish. There is a sense of completeness here: the wine of the vintage for Drouhin? Fabulous and sumptuous, this will seduce at ten paces.

Partial whole cluster. 22 days' maceration, 16 months in oak.  Deep cherry red. A touch reductive, as you might expect. Deep and velvety and the texture is so different from the Grands Échezeaux. Savoury, touch of spice, dark fruit, all so suppressed but all there. So dry and yet so mouthwatering. So tight and clenched but so promising. (JH)