Tasted in Vosne-Romanée with Marie-Andrée Mugneret, 18 May, 2014.
I started my visit with a view out of the back-door of the domaine, looking over their vines towards the ‘Route-Nationale.’ This is where 80% of the grapes come from for their ‘Villages Vosne’ cuvée, another 15% comes from near Nuits St.Georges and the remainder from a small plot near the cemetery of Vosne. The average age of vines for the cuvée is now ~50, but 1 hectare was lost in the cold December night of 2009 when the thermometer went from + to -20°C in just a few hours.
Marie-Andrée on yields:
We had a little more in 2013 than in 2012, but still ~30% less. If we assume that a normal vintage is 110 barrels, then in 2013 we had 85, but in 2012 we had only 65…
Marie-Andrée on 2012s:
The 2012s were in tank, and would be bottled in the ‘next few weeks.’ “For us, 2012 is such a surprise versus the hard work we had to do through the year. We thought that maybe the wines would be 2007 in style – and we like 2007 here! – but after the malos we start to see a vintage with good keeping potential. A vintage that we can compare with 2010.”
This is a domaine whose wines I’ve bought for years, but didn’t try to visit for Burgundy Report, because you can reports everywhere. But now it’s my job 😉
2012 Bourgogne
The nose is wide and offers quite some density. The palate is round and the texture even a little padded – it’s very fine – and really the flavour is on another level to the (today) modest aromatic. Really super Bourgogne.
The nose has the necessary spiciness and a certainly prettiness too. Here is an extra depth of ripe-fruit sweetness. Just a little tannin shows through. this is very good wine – super depth of flavour. My favourite Vosne-Romanée of the vintage – so-far!
A padded, comforting, inviting, forward nose. Pretty, with mouth-watering acidity and fine tannin. There’s a fine growth of intensity too. Fabulous! Super yum!
2012 Nuits St.Georges 1er Les Vignes Rondes
The nose is higher-toned and quite focused – perhaps a little more intense too. Certainly there’s a little more palate-muscle. This is more direct, less round – the tannin is a little more overt too. A very different shape of wine, but ‘yum’ too!
60% less in 12 – but only due to the very small grapes.
Modest colour. Not a modest nose! It’s not super-wide but it offers a layered complexity – gorgeous. In the mouth there’s extra width versus the direct Vignes Rondes, but still an impression of muscle plus super complexity of flavour in the mid-palate. This is, quite simply excellent – the flavour limpet-like attached to your gums…
2012 Ruchottes-Chambertin
This in bottle for 1 week. This is the first year where the young vines (formerly Gevrey, then Gevrey 1er Cru cuvées) are back in the Grand Cru wine.
This is higher-toned, again a seemingly textured nose with layers of aroma. There’s an extra sweetness to the fruit and beautiful acidity and tension. Finishes in a long, mineral way. Lovely…
The vines are high in the Clos, sat between those of JN Méo and Lamarche.
Modest colour. The nose is airy and a little discrete, but with a growing depth and a tight core of fruit. Big in the mouth, growing intensity and complexity – a little salinity too. Very wide finishing, this is fabulously long. Super-impressive stuff!