Jacques Frédéric Mugnier, Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses 2016
Daniel Johnnes
September 30, 2022
I have been very fortunate to be able to drink more than my fair share of extraordinary wines. I learn something different every time I do. Either about the producer, the grape, the terroir, the vintage or maybe the winemaking.
The other night Raj, I and a friend had a bottle of Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses 2016 from Frédéric Mugnier. It reminded me of when we visited Burgundy in the winter of 2021 to make a video and do an in- depth study of this extraordinary Premier Cru.
We were joined by our favorite producers (Mugnier, Drouhin, Roumier) to talk to us about Les Amoureuses. It turns out Fred had excavated a small hole (see photo) in his vineyard for a study he was doing and was able to demonstrate the make up of the terroir.
All three winemakers talked to us and shared bottles with us of Les Amoureuses during a lunch that lasted several hours. We learned of the profound respect each have for this really special place and I walked away convinced again how rare and special wine should be consumed in small groups and be given a chance to display its glory. Fred Mugnier has told me again and again, he loves sharing his wine but at the right time and with the right people.
This was the case the other night. We were settled in the elegant and comfortable dining room of Gabriel Kreuther, a restaurant with some of the best food in New York and a Grand Award winning wine list.
After a welcome glass of Dom Perignon 2012, a delicious Chablis Valmur 2018 from Chistrian Moreau and a delicious Volnay 1er Cru Brouillards 2012 from Louis Boillot, it was time for the piece de resistance.
Aukai, the excellent resident sommelier, presented the wine and poured a taste. On first taste, I knew it was a sound bottle but it seemed shy. In fact, it was lurking behind layers of minerality and silky fruit and tannins anxious to emerge from its restrained position. Slowly, as the bottle drew breath and warmed just a touch, it began to blossom and the aromas and flavors unfolded like a flower that spreads its petals in the morning sunshine.
It has that satiny 2016 texture and was enrobed in vibrant cherry fruit, with an almost electric minerality. What struck me the most was how it lingered on the palate long after swallowing the wine. To me, this is the mark of great wines found in the best Premier Cru and Grand Cru vineyards.
It was not a loud wine by any means but by paying attention, as Fred declares is necessary for a wine like this, it was incredible in its delicacy, confident posture and nobility.
