Wine Advisor
Jacques Frederic Mugnier, Bonnes Mares Grand Cru 2017
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: William Kelley
The 2017 Bonnes Mares Grand Cru is also showing brilliantly from bottle, unwinding in the glass with aromas of cassis, wild berries and plums mingled with notions of peonies, grilled squab, spices and musk. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, velvety and layered, with good concentration and ripe acids, framed by an ample endowment of fine, powdery tannin that renders this more structured than the corresponding Amoureuses but not in any sense more austere. While this is quite charming and expressive for young Bonnes Mares, at least a decade's patience will be warranted.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2017 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru has a very floral bouquet of lively red berry fruit infused with pressed rose petal and wild heather. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins and a fine bead of acidity. Very elegant and poised, with a harmonious but not deep finish. As is often the case, a very enjoyable Bonnes-Mares, but not the strongest in Mugnier’s pack.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2017 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru has an attractive, understated but precise nose. It is certainly not powerful, though it is very focused, offering subtle crushed stone and blackberry aromas. The palate is well balanced with a fresh orange-sorbet-tinged opening, toasty black fruit and a brush of black olive toward the refreshing, persistent finish. Mugnier's Bonnes-Mares is regularly surpassed by his Les Amoureuses, and this year is no different, but it is still a fine contribution to the vintage.
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.
