Wine Advisor
Jacques Frederic Mugnier, Musigny Grand Cru 2011
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2011 Musigny Grand Cru has a fragrant, floral, understated bouquet that is beautifully defined and focused. With time in the glass it offers subtle forest floor and damp soil scents that merely add to its complexity. The palate is medium-bodied with filigree tannins and exquisite balance. It tiptoes across the senses rather than delivering a payload of flavors, while the finish offers extraordinary precision and nuance. It is a long-term wine of immense density – deceptively so. I was delighted to return to the home of Frederic Mugnier in the cluster of houses that make up the village of Chambolle, his perhaps the grandest and most imposing. Those are not adjectives that would describe the man himself, ever congenial and humble when I met him at the domaine. I was there to taste his 2012s in barrel, but with some free time before my next appointment he kindly offered to show me his bottled 2011s. This is a producer whose wines I have warmed to in recent years. When I commenced my Burgundy odyssey in the 1990s I felt that his wines were outshone by his neighbor Christophe Roumier and felt that they did not quite reach their full potential. However, in recent vintages Frederic has really honed his style and to me he seems more comfortable with the level of new wood that he is using, even countenancing the idea of a grand cru sans new oak. The wines seem “happier,” as banal as that sounds. But they just sang from bottle with freshness, verve, personality and charm – facets of a great Burgundy wine. Most of these cuvees would have been allocated on release, but I am sure some 2011s remain available and they come highly recommended. 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
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The embodiment of pure sensuality, the 2011 Musigny is supremely beautiful. Balance, symmetry and a total sense of finesse are the calling cards. The silkiest of tannins support a finish laced with bright red fruit, rose petals, spices and dried herbs.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Deep, bright red. Closed but pure nose hints at pepper, spices, herbs and soil. Tougher and less fruity than the Bonnes-Mares, with more obvious tannins currently cutting off the wine's finish. Distinctly darker in character than the Amoureuses, with the notes of spices, herbs and pepper carrying through on the palate and on the powerful, firmly tannic aftertaste. Quite uncompromising today but vibrant and very young.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Good bright, deep red. Musky black raspberry, chocolate and dried flowers on the nose. Chewy, sappy and vibrant, with very ripe blackberry, black raspberry, cocoa powder and chocolate flavors supported by sound, harmonious acidity. Finishes dense, long and light on its feet, with pepper, herb and smoky mineral notes providing lift and grip. No shortage of energy here.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2011 Musigny Grand Cru has a fragrant, floral, understated bouquet that is beautifully defined and focused. With time in the glass it offers subtle forest floor and damp soil scents that merely add to its complexity. The palate is medium-bodied with filigree tannins and exquisite balance. It tiptoes across the senses rather than delivering a payload of flavors, while the finish offers extraordinary precision and nuance. It is a long-term wine of immense density – deceptively so. I was delighted to return to the home of Frederic Mugnier in the cluster of houses that make up the village of Chambolle, his perhaps the grandest and most imposing. Those are not adjectives that would describe the man himself, ever congenial and humble when I met him at the domaine. I was there to taste his 2012s in barrel, but with some free time before my next appointment he kindly offered to show me his bottled 2011s. This is a producer whose wines I have warmed to in recent years. When I commenced my Burgundy odyssey in the 1990s I felt that his wines were outshone by his neighbor Christophe Roumier and felt that they did not quite reach their full potential. However, in recent vintages Frederic has really honed his style and to me he seems more comfortable with the level of new wood that he is using, even countenancing the idea of a grand cru sans new oak. The wines seem “happier,” as banal as that sounds. But they just sang from bottle with freshness, verve, personality and charm – facets of a great Burgundy wine. Most of these cuvees would have been allocated on release, but I am sure some 2011s remain available and they come highly recommended. 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.
