Domaine Robert Arnoux / Arnoux-Lachaux
Les Chaumes Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Pinot Noir
Vosne-Romanée, Côte de Nuits, Burgundy, France
I had a previous bottle earlier this year with similar notes. A lovely perfume, typically Vosne Romanee - red florals, earthy, mushroom - forest floor. Sweet fruited reflecting the warmer vintage. Lacked a little complexity. I was following Jancis’s drinking window (Julia Harding MW) of 2019 - 2025 which I feel is too early. This could easily go on for 3 or 4 more years. As a point of comparison I have another 2015 Les Chaumes made by Domaine Francois Lamarche where the drinking window from Jancis is 2026 - 2042 which is a big difference. Drinking Windows are an inexact science.
I had a previous bottle earlier this year with similar notes. A lovely perfume, typically Vosne Romanee - red florals, earthy, mushroom - forest floor. Sweet fruited reflecting the warmer vintage. Lacked a little complexity. I was following Jancis’s drinking window (Julia Harding MW) of 2019 - 2025 which I feel is too early. This could easily go on for 3 or 4 more years. As a point of comparison I have another 2015 Les Chaumes made by Domaine Francois Lamarche where the drinking window from Jancis is 2026 - 2042 which is a big difference. Drinking Windows are an inexact science.
Nov 8th, 2024
By now everyone knows the name of Charles Lachaux, quickly becoming a Burgundy legend, and while 2017 is the vintage where Charles’ stylistic changes are known to take full effect, by 2013 such changes had already begun once he took the reigns the prior year—more judicial use of new oak, increasing amounts of whole clusters each subsequent vintage, higher and denser canopies, just to mention a few. His 2019 vintage is what did it for me. Simply incredible wines.
But at age 11, 2013 Chaumes, 50% whole cluster and 50% new oak is showing beautifully after some required air, with a seductively elegant perfume, incredible fruit density, richness and concentration for the vintage, and a long mineral, spice and saline inflicted finale. Pre-2017, I think the Vosne bottlings are the best, but I think they need at least 10 years to absorb the oak. But now, everything’s great, even on release!
By now everyone knows the name of Charles Lachaux, quickly becoming a Burgundy legend, and while 2017 is the vintage where Charles’ stylistic changes are known to take full effect, by 2013 such changes had already begun once he took the reigns the prior year—more judicial use of new oak, increasing amounts of whole clusters each subsequent vintage, higher and denser canopies, just to mention a few. His 2019 vintage is what did it for me. Simply incredible wines.
But at age 11, 2013 Chaumes, 50% whole cluster and 50% new oak is showing beautifully after some required air, with a seductively elegant perfume, incredible fruit density, richness and concentration for the vintage, and a long mineral, spice and saline inflicted finale. Pre-2017, I think the Vosne bottlings are the best, but I think they need at least 10 years to absorb the oak. But now, everything’s great, even on release!
An earthy herbal red fruited musky perfume. Very Vosne. Medium weight and savoury - Barb tasted a parsley type note strangely enough - that I didn’t disagree with together with sweet red cherry and earthy notes on the palate. Good intensity and length reflecting the warmer 2015 vintage for Burgundy. Ok to drink now and in the next year or two. I will put this to the test with my last bottle.
An earthy herbal red fruited musky perfume. Very Vosne. Medium weight and savoury - Barb tasted a parsley type note strangely enough - that I didn’t disagree with together with sweet red cherry and earthy notes on the palate. Good intensity and length reflecting the warmer 2015 vintage for Burgundy. Ok to drink now and in the next year or two. I will put this to the test with my last bottle.
Apr 2nd, 2023
Tawny with thin amber rims. Fragrant and exotic nose. Notes of cherry, raspberry, rhubarb, Asian spices and dark earth. Powerful rich and perfectly balanced in the mouth. Great wine that always seems to perform for me.
Tawny with thin amber rims. Fragrant and exotic nose. Notes of cherry, raspberry, rhubarb, Asian spices and dark earth. Powerful rich and perfectly balanced in the mouth. Great wine that always seems to perform for me.
Dec 29th, 2018
Woof! 15-20 more years ahead of it.
Woof! 15-20 more years ahead of it.
Dec 10th, 2017
Mike had this 2 years ago
Mike had this 2 years ago
1 person found it helpfulJan 25th, 2023
Elegant, restrained & subtle. wish it weren't so dear.
Elegant, restrained & subtle. wish it weren't so dear.
Jul 10th, 2015
Better than the last bottle from about 1.5 years ago. Sexy, from a not so regarded vineyard in the the Arnoux portfolio.
Better than the last bottle from about 1.5 years ago. Sexy, from a not so regarded vineyard in the the Arnoux portfolio.
May 11th, 2015