Arnoux-Lachaux Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Chaumes 2019

“Deeper colour with a rich sensual nose but less detail, less finesse. Purple fruit, the start of chocolate notes, lower acidity, but saved by the refinement from the whole bunch, and exceptional length. This is still a superb wine – just a fraction less magical than the best in this exceptional cellar.” 91-94 points

“An exuberantly fresh nose is comprised of subtly spiced aromas of red and dark currant, violet, lavender and discreet sandalwood wisps. There is impressive mid-palate density to the lavish and seductively textured flavors that coat the palate with dry extract on the caressing and once again sneaky long finish. Like several wines in the range, this too needs to develop more depth and my predicted range accords the benefit of the doubt. As an aside, I would make the same observation here that I made about the Procès in that this is a very fine example of what I consider to be a perfect example of a good but not particularly distinguished Vosne 1er.” 91-93 points

“The 2019 Vosne-Romanée Les Chaumes 1er Cru has slightly deeper fruit than the Les Hautes Maizières, bilberry and raspberry, autumn leaves, a touch of white pepper. This gains intensity with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with a supple opening, a little more lactic in texture with veins of dark chocolate infusing the red fruit, cohesive towards the finish with good grip on the finish. This will need time, a little broad-shouldered, almost Morey-like in a way.” 93+ points

“Notions of violets, rose petals, raspberries and cherries—complemented by hints of loamy soil and smoked meats—introduce Lachaux's 2019 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Chaumes, a medium to full-bodied, charming and enveloping wine that's lively and gourmand, with powdery tannins and bright balancing acids. This is one of the more immediate premiers crus in the cellar.” 92-94 points