jacques frédéric mugnier 99 chambolle-musigny

Update 7.1.2009(6.1.2009)billn

jacques frederic Mugnier chambolle musigny

A domaine that has become rather ‘over-hyped’ in the last couple of years, as a consequence availability is down and at the prices currently asked only the Nuits wines of the domaine continue to show value – perhaps that’s simply a function of the fact that they are the only ones that seem to be in free supply! Five or six years ago when the wines were well priced and not continuously on the lips of ‘opinion formers’, I bagged quite a few 98 and 99’s including a case of this wine in halves – it’s been a while since I opened one, so I’m interested to see how it’s getting along.
1999 J-F Mugnier, Chambolle-Musignytry to find this wine...
From a half bottle. Medium ruby-red colour. The nose shows understated but heavily perfumed notes of dark flowers over tight red fruit notes. In the mouth it’s fresh and shows almost no tannin. Initially linear, it slowly unwinds in the mouth with decent intensity and a slowly growing width of flavours – it seems just a little fatter as it reaches room temperature and there’s quite a nice high toned ‘mouth perfume’. The flavours in the almost good finish are becoming just a little secondary. Clearly it’s a little tight showing not even close to the extra depth of flavour you currently find in a good 2005 villages Chambolle or even what it showed itself 5 or 6 years ago. Clean, pretty, slightly acid forward and easy drinking is the report today – not too much here to set the pulse racing. Return in another two or three years…
Rebuy – Maybe

Agree? Disagree? Anything you'd like to add?

There are 8 responses to “jacques frédéric mugnier 99 chambolle-musigny”

  1. Philip6th January 2009 at 9:03 pmPermalinkReply

    Bill, is your “over-hyped” comment based on tasting recent vintages? I’ve followed this domaine since buying a case of Chambolle-Musigny 1987 (all drunk up long ago). Most of my purchases have been closer to the top of the range than the bottom, and all have taken a very long time to come round – well over ten years. A bottle of the ’93 Musigny in 2003 was so dissappointing I came close to selling the rest of the case, but I opened another at Xmas 2007, and two more since, and they’ve been some of the best burgundies I’ve ever drunk. I think you need to wait.
    And in London at least, the prices aren’t particularly steep. The Vogue Chambolle 1er Cru 2005 (i.e. the cheaper of the premiers Vogue offers) was offered, I think, at around £650 per case of six. The Mugnier Les Amoureuses (more expensive than his Fuees)was £495.
    Anyway, speaking of overpriced, I note you bought some DRC that year….

    • billn6th January 2009 at 9:57 pmPermalinkReply

      Hi Philip – basically yes. 97 was ‘okay’ though admittedly quite enjoyable young, 98 was particularly good, 99-02 are/were very good, I didn’t ‘get’ the 03, 04 Musigny has (had) the taint in spades (I haven’t tasted the rest) and 05’s are beautiful – but tasted on the same day (from barrel) ‘only’ on a par with de Vogüé and behind Liger-Belair for the top cuvées. So, serious wine-making for sure, but some people need to make a little hype and that suits a certain segment of merchants down to the ground. I’m very happy with the way the Clos de Marechale is coming along though.

  2. Tom Blach6th January 2009 at 11:04 pmPermalinkReply

    I look forward to this-it wasn’t that long ago that I bought a few cases of this at a price that today seems laughable. Your note seems very typical of current 99 notes, and I think this current showing is confusing a lot of people. Mine will stay in storage for a good few years yet. Re the hype, I don’t think it’s ever worth paying hyped prices when there are so many other things to buy.

  3. Philip6th January 2009 at 11:20 pmPermalinkReply

    @billn – Thank you. I don’t get to taste out of barrel, but generally agree, based on limited experience. As to hype, Tom makes a fair point, and I certainly accept that there’s very worthwhile wine from less well known domaines. I blame merchants with a clientele among highly paid City of London types – have you noticed how hedge funds put on wine tastings instead of shooting events. I think the economic situation will put a stop to that.
    And if you can put a stop to the female zebedee picture which appears whenever I post…

  4. billn7th January 2009 at 7:57 amPermalinkReply

    @Philip – you are now a mosiac instead of a zebedee! (choose what you like at http://en.gravatar.com/). I blame a specific segment of merchants – resellers in the main – as the pricing is really not in-line with the ex domaine cost as far as I’m aware, and people who cannot write something original about other domaines. The consequence has been that people with no prior knowledge, driven by scores and hyperbole about (for instance) JFM being ‘a top 5 domaine’ look at the ‘discount’ of the wines relative to DRC or Leroy and see a ‘bargain’. To amplify my point Fine and Rare (they are asking ‘market price’ I expect) today offer the 2005 of this wine at £1,070 per case – they ‘only’ want £1,245 for the Bertagna 05 Clos St.Denis – clearly the relative prices are not just based on the intrinsic ‘quality’ of the wines…

    @Tom Blach – I think you (and I) will be very happy in the future Tom. When young, this wine showed a clear extra dimension of fruit flavour relative to a bunch of other Chambolles at a similar pricepoint (about 30 SFr or £11 per 75cl at the time). That dimension is nowhere to be seen now, but I’m sure it will return. These half bottles are the ideal litmus test for judging when to open a 99 Fuées or Amoureuses or even 99’s in general, which I agree are currently a little one-dimensional.

    Cheers

  5. BruceMcQ7th January 2009 at 6:29 pmPermalinkReply

    Mugnier has clearly been hyped, blowing the prices much too far out, stateside at least (One retailer is offering them @ $110). They have been, for me, a quickly receding belle.

    That said, they have been a favorite producer of mine and I carefully covet the last few ’96, ’97 and ’99s I’ve managed to keep. The Fuees in particular have been celestial. (OK, the ’97s are weaker…).

    But the worst thing is I’m leery of extrapolating even your experience to my bottles given the potential storage difference.

  6. billn7th January 2009 at 9:33 pmPermalinkReply

    @BruceMcQ – The Fuées was always a strong favourite of mine too Bruce.

    30% of ‘stock’ is perfectly stored ‘off-site’, but this will soonishly move to my passive cellar which is underground and cycles between 13°C January (i.e. now) and just below 20°C in early September. Maximum monthly change ~1.5°C. My cheap hygrometer tells me just under 70% all year round, not sure if I believe it – never seems vaguely damp – still, it’s always 100% humidity just under the cork!

  7. BruceMcQ8th January 2009 at 11:12 pmPermalinkReply

    When a villages is over $100, I check my cheques, though I whine like a banshee.

    Fortunately, I’ve found some delicious 05 JP Magnien CSD in an acceptable price range and some older (95) Laurent C-M Charmes. So I dry my tears.

    We saw the US housing crunch coming 3 years ago and sold our dream house that had a huge basement. We moved to a much smaller, energy efficient passive solar house.

    As such I had to build a cold room in the garage which oscillates between 40F (5C) and 68F (20C), chilled by a small interior air conditioner. It works, but I’m careful to keep all wines in styrofoam and the best right on 6 inch slab concrete floor, including the few Mugniers left.

  8. Sunit Chakraborty26th August 2009 at 3:08 pmPermalinkReply

    Hello guys,

    i read something about the 1993 Musigny of Mugnier in the replies. Does anybody have some tasting notes for this wine ? Thank you.

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