The 1996 Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses PREMIER Cru is an outstanding wine for what can be a tricky vintage
The Wine
Domaine Jacques-Frederic Mugnier, Chambolle-Musigny, Premier Cru Les Amoureuses 1996
12x75cl in original carton - £26,000 (under bond, excl. VAT and duty)
The Cepage
Pinot Noir (100%)
The Producer
Read about J-F Mugnier in Hugo Rose MW’s producer focus
The Vineyard
Name: Les Amoureuses (Chambolle-Musigny)
Classification: Premier Cru
Vineyard Size: 5.4 hectares
Aspect: south-east
Soil: (top section) limestone/calcaire comblanchien and (bottom section) white marl with fossilised shells/ostrea acuminata.
Grand Cru in all but name, this Premier Cru terroir is capable of producing ethereal Pinot Noir that competes with the very best of Burgundy
Mugnier’s Plot
Plot size: 1.3 hectares
Yield: Circa 25 hectolitres/hectare
Bottles produced: 3000-3500
The Vintage
1996 was a “classic” vintage in the Côte d’Or, with fresh acidity and elegance the theme.
A warm June led to successful flowering, with more unsettled conditions prevailing until mid-August. Warm, dry days followed until the end of September, resulting in a large crop of healthy grapes.
Superb Chardonnay and some very good to excellent Pinot - although certainly not homogenous across producers, nor sites - with Mugnier in the upper tier of producers (in an underperforming era for the Domaine).
The Provenance
Privately owned and professionally stored with a single, UK merchant from the early 2000s, until Provinance's acquisition in 2023.
What The Critics Say
Jasper Morris MW
96/100 points (2023) "Quite full in colour, while at first the acidity gives a green note, which soon disappears into the fruit as it wakes up. The 1996 Amoureuses becomes really rather joyous, improving steadily in the glass, putting on weight and depth of character. In due course it even overhauls the 1999 by a whisker. 1996s remain an enigma – often a little worrying at first sniff but usually developing gorgeously when exposed to oxygen. This is a very fine example. Drink from now-2030."
Neal Martin
95/100 points (2023) “The 1996 Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses 1er Cru is an outstanding wine for what can be a tricky vintage. Dark berry fruit, sea spray and light seaweed scents burst from the glass, well-defined and eager to please. The palate is very well-balanced and typical 1996 insofar that there is a palpable marine element, racy acidity and wonderful purity. It reminds me of a Rousseau from this era, very long and persistent on the finish. Wonderful. Tasted at Les Amoureuses vertical at Hide restaurant”