Wine Advisor
Jacques Frederic Mugnier, Bonnes Mares Grand Cru 2010
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2010 Bonnes-Mares comes across as a bit reticent. An expressive bouquet laced with dark berries, crushed rocks and graphite leads to a pretty core of dark red fruit. The generous, fleshy finish is the best thing about the Bonnes- Mares. As good as this is, it isn’t as compelling as I had hoped. It’s hard to believe I did not catch the Bonnes-Mares during an awkward stage. Today, some of the magic is missing. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2040. Leave it to Frederic Mugnier to take a contrarian view of the 2010 vintage. Mugnier is quite clear in espousing his opinion that not only is 2009 a better vintage than 2010, but that the 2009s will be longer-lived as well. His advice to me was to drink the 2010s now and cellar the 2009s. Mugnier’s highly personal take is also reflected in the unconventional order in which these wines were tasted. I have to say, it was quite eye-opening to taste the wines in a different sequence than is the norm, as it keeps the palate and intellect sharp. The harvest started on September 22. As has been the case for a while, the focus is on doing as little as possible to the wines once they are in cellar, which among other things means that new oak is now practically non-existent here. Readers who want to learn more might want to take a look at my interview with Frederic Mugnier posted on our website. A Becky Wasserman Selection, Le Serbet, various American importers, including: Martin Scott Wines, Little Neck, NY; tel. (516) 327-0808; Veritas Imports, Beverly Hills, CA; tel. (310) 205-3803; Toepfer Imports LLC, CO; tel. (303) 818-7640
About the Producer
Domaine Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier is a Burgundian wine producer based in Chambolle-Musigny. It is particularly well-known for its Musigny Grand Cru wine which is regarded as a benchmark for that vineyard. While the estate is most closely associated with Pinot Noir wines from Chambolle-Musigny, it has 10 hectares (25 acres) of vineyards in Nuits-Saint-Georges as well. The Château de Chambolle-Musigny has been owned by the Mugnier family since 1863. From 1950, as there was no winemaker in the family, the vineyards were contracted out to Faiveley and Bruno Clair, with the latter selling the wine in bulk. Between 1985 and 2004, Frédéric Mugnier was able to take back the vineyards as leases expired. On top of the Musigny Grand Cru, Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier makes a wine from the Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru vineyard, as well as two premier cru wines, Les Fuées and Les Amoureuses, and a village-level wine. From the Nuits-Saint-Georges holdings, Mugnier makes a Clos des Fourches premier cru wine, and a red and a white premier cru from the Clos de la Maréchale vineyard, which is a monopole of the domaine. Vineyards are farmed without herbicides or pesticides and just two mildew treatments per year. Grapes are de-stemmed and whole berries are fermented in old open wooden vats. After around 16 months in oak, wines are bottled without fining and filtration.
