Les Amoureuses is the most celebrated premier cru in Burgundy and is widely held to be a grand cru in all but name. Barely five hectares of thin soil directly below Musigny, it produces a wine of perfume and silk that no amount of winemaking can manufacture elsewhere.
Tasting Notes
An ethereal bouquet of red berries, roses and a touch of spice, leading to a velvety and sensual palate. This is Chambolle-Musigny at its most characteristic, all lift and fragrance rather than weight, with tannins so fine they read as texture rather than grip. The name translates as the lovers, and the wine's reputation for seduction is not marketing. Robert Drouhin bought the family's parcels here during the 1960s.
Quick Facts
- Grape: 100% Pinot Noir
- Origin: France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses Premier Cru
- Style: Dry red, Premier Cru, perfumed, silky, age worthy
- Viticulture: Certified organic and biodynamic
- Vineyard: Roughly 5 hectares on thin limestone soil immediately below the Musigny grand cru, regularly priced and rated at grand cru level
Food Pairing
Roast duck, game birds, veal, mushroom dishes, and soft cheeses. Nothing heavily spiced.
Serving
Serve at 16°C. Decant forty minutes before pouring. Will keep and improve for fifteen to twenty years.
About the Producer
Maison Joseph Drouhin was founded in Beaune in 1880 by Joseph Drouhin, who had arrived from Chablis at the age of 22. His son Maurice bought the Clos des Mouches in 1921 and began building the family's own vineyard holdings, and Robert Drouhin, who took over in 1957, added parcels in many of Burgundy's greatest grand crus. The house is run today by the fourth generation, Frédéric, Véronique, Philippe and Laurent, from cellars beneath the old town of Beaune dug between the 13th and 18th centuries. Every estate vineyard has been farmed organically and biodynamically since 1993, making Drouhin the largest biodynamic producer in Burgundy.
