Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Jasper Morris
Fine mid purple in colour. A very appealing fresh deep red fruit on the nose, quite restrained. Then a bombshell explosion of rich ripe sweet fruit, with just enough acidity at the back. It grows and develops very well, not the most blockbuster of Musignys but finely balanced. This has come on tremendously since tasted in barrel.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Mugnier's 2016 Musigny Vieilles Vignes Grand Cru is just being released, but readers should take its eight years of cellaring at the domaine as a statement of intent rather than a sign to start pulling corks on reception, as the wine is still very far from maturity. Unwinding in the glass with scents of dark berries, orange rind, exotic spices and a deft framing of new oak, it's full-bodied, deep and layered, with a hugely concentrated core of fruit that reflects the year's low yields, lively acids and supple but abundant structuring tannins, it concludes with a long, palate-staining finish.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
Chambolle-Musigny represents the charm of the Côte de Nuits district of Burgundy. But you’ll find that term mainly in reference to the vineyards in its southern stretches, which border Clos Vougeot: the Grand Cru of Le Musingy and in part, its neighboring and most exceptional Premier Cru, Les Amoureuses. Some producers argue for the primacy of Les Amoureuses and its eligibility for Grand Cru status given its wines can sometimes surpass other Grands Crus.
Le Musigny ranks on par with the most acclaimed Grands Crus for Pinot Noir: Romanée-Conti, La Tâche, Richebourg, Chambertin, and Chambertin-Clos de Bèze. It is also the only Grand Cru in Côte de Nuits for Chardonnay. All of the others are in Côte de Beaune.
This village can in fact claim only two Grands Crus vineyards and—in the context of breaking down the minutiae—they are markedly different. Bonnes-Mares, the other one at the far northern end above the village, bordering Morey-St-Denis, offers power, strength and great aging potential. But Chambolle-Musigny includes a nice handful of exceptional Premiers Crus, as noted above with Les Amoureuses as the finest. Le Fuees and Les Cras are other noteworthy Premiers Crus.
Overall, a top Chambolle-Musigny offers pure aromas of violets, dark cherry and damp earth, coupled with a velvety elegance, supple mid-palate, an abundance of black and red berry, and finesse and power through a long and fine-grained finish.