Wine Advisor
Jacques Frederic Mugnier, Bonnes Mares Grand Cru 2013
View analysis
Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2013 Nuits Saint Georges Clos de la Marechale Blanc has a beautiful, floral, honeysuckle and brioche-scented bouquet that is very endearing. The palate is very well balanced with commendable weight and well-judged acidity, a white Cote de Nuits that is harmonious and just flowers, finishing with just a dash of lemongrass to give it that edge. Excellent - one of the best vintages that I have encountered.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2013 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru, which comes from slightly younger vines than Mugnier’s other crus, since a majority were replanted in the 1980s, has a crisp, conservative bouquet of blackcurrants, redcurrants and a touch of granite in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins and a fine line of acidity, but to be honest this Bonnes-Mares seems to “run out of ideas” about two-thirds of the way through and I actually find more harmony and persistence, more character exhibited by the Fuées ’13 at present.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2013 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru offers brambly red berry fruit on the nose, a light sea spray influence coming through (à la Fuées) with pleasing mineralité. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, tart red cherry fruit mixed with raspberry, a little earthiness towards the structured and linear finish that just needs to show a little more substance and sophistication. This is rather outplayed by both the Chambolle Amoureuses and Musigny Vieilles Vignes this year.
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.
