Only 700 bottles of this, I’m lucky because a few samples are hand as it’s just being bottled – otherwise it’s not opened. For the first time there are a few stems retained in this. This is also a little tight but shows perfect red berry fruit. Despite what’s gone before, here is another level of concentration and hot on its heel, intensity too. Balanced and cushioned yet somehow everything registers a notch higher than the other wines – I wonder how they do that…(!)
Medium mahogany colour. The nose is full but round, a deep core of baked fruit coated with herbs, the fruit just gets fresher and fresher, eventually having a distinct rose-petal aroma. Silky but still a lick of bitter tannin waits in the mid-palate. There’s a lot of fruit here and it’s a big wine in the mid-palate. Good finish. Rather primary to start with, but if you’d been told blind it was from the 90s you’d believe it. Not a life-changing Musigny, but impressive given no lack of power and such a youthful display and, okay, perhaps maybe just a little beguiling.
Well the cork is in great shape; long, flexible and not a hint of seepage. Medium garnet red. The nose is a little dense – there’s depth certainly, but it’s a little cooked and monolithic – not really the elegance or complexity of Musigny to start with, but slowly a more penetrating and pure red fruit nose comes centre-stage – after 2 hours it’s quite engaging. There is plenty of balance, understated slightly astringent tannin and a finishing note that is mineral with a hint of tannic bitterness – well one thing’s for sure; this is far from a mature wine. In the end I drank it whilst admiring certain aspects of it but without ever warming to it. The flavours are certainly more mineral than fruit influenced and it’s far from a thing of beauty right now – actually it’s still an ugly duckling – but if I had a second bottle in such good condition I wouldn’t open it for at least another 5 years.
Opened 2 yours before the first pour. Medium colour – ruby but still with cherry-red accents. The nose is deeper and darker than that of the Bonnes-Mares, but less wide. Slowly in the glass the aromas gain width and dimension – I would say very fine. In the mouth my first impression is that it’s a little hard and tight; in tandem with the nose it slowly unwinds, softens and adds width. Another wine where the tannin hardly warrants a mention, though the quality of the wide and creamy finish was streets ahead of the Bonnes-Mares. In this context it was a fine wine, but one that didn’t ‘wow’.
The colour is medium-plus red, but halfway between ruby and cherry – already starting to lose some that youthfull robe. The nose starts deep and complex with a strong cedar note at the top, and all-spice below. It takes quite some time to open out into a more fruit dimension – mainly a redcurrant note that develops a baked tart effect. The palate has perfect texture – ultra-smooth – and excellent acidity. Really exceptional length, though currently edged with some faintly bitter oak tannin. Interestingly the cedar of the nose is mirrored on the palate. Just a little more intense than the Echezeaux, but I find that cedar note intrusive. Lots of positive aspects, but a wine that is less ‘together’ than the Mugneret-Gibourg today. Take an overnight rest in the refridgerator and the last glass has a more floral nose and the palate is more ‘together’ – still a little cedar though. 5 more lay in the cellar for the long-term.
Splash decanted 15 minutes before drinking. Medium cherry/ruby red – the colour’s a little intermediate, but not much fading. The nose starts a little ‘solid’ plenty of ashy oak taking at least an hour to release the creamy red fruit – it’s good but not great. The palate is medium intensity with a spectacular finish, creamy and long, long, long. Most likely serves me right for opening at this age but I would have liked something to be happening in the mid-palate… Lovely balance – elegance over power, nice unobtrusive tannin and a real peacock’s tail of a finish, but this left me looking for just that bit extra. Excellent but as said, not yet great…
Medium-plus ruby-red. From 12°C the nose starts deep, dank and woody with a touch of forest floor – much nicer than it sounds! As the wine warms in the glass, the fruit starts to take over, first it’s deep and plummy with hints of roast too. As the wine gets closer to room temperature the fruit gets ever more primary and and pure – beautiful red berry fruit – reminds me of the 99 de Vogüé Amoureuses of last week. The palate has just a little fat but is superbly balanced and beautifully round. There is almost a hidden density to this wine coupled with excellent fine tannin. The finish is very good but not quite a match to the rest. My best Musigny experience and a wine I absolutely don’t regret opening – wine of the year so far.
Believe it or not, the entire harvest from this vineyard was de-stemmed grape by grape, entirely by hand. This process took 10 people 12 hours to complete resulting in 2 and a quarter barrels. Medium-plus cherry in colour. The nose is deep with an aroma that’s quite persistent. Very silky almost soft palate, despite the evident concentration. Very smooth, well covered acidity. The finish is exceptionally long – as you would expect with an exceptional wine!
Medium red with brick highlights. The nose is an unusual, but not unpleasant, mixture of oxtail soup (!) and stewed rhubarb. Some sweetness and fruit but slightly outweighed by the punchy acidity and tannins. With food the tables are turned and all falls into place. There’s no lack of fruit and this wine exhibits a simply fantastic length. 2-3 minutes and it’s still going. Excellent, head and shoulders above any other 1994 I’ve tasted.
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