Tasted with Pascal Mugneret in Vosne-Romanée, 20 July 2017.
Domaine Gérard Mugneret
7 rue de la Grand Velle
21700 Vosne-Romanée
Tel: +33 03 80 61 09 95
www.gerard-mugneret.fr
Pascal on 2016:
“Frost, mildew, hail – we really had a bit of everything. I suppose that on average our yields are down 40% but some are down 90% and others just 10%. I was one of earliest domaines to harvest, starting the 23rd September. We are all different, personally I like to have acidity in my wine, if you wait longer to harvest I think the wines start to become more similar…”
The wines…
All the malos were finished in January in this cellar. Probably a spring bottling for the Bourgognes, but it’s still open for all the wines. There’s very low sulfur usage here, mainly the first additions will be at assembly and then a little more before bottling.
Truth be told, virtually every wine in the cellar flirted with being worthy of a special recommendation, Pascal has really delivered in 2016, these wines perfectly encapsulating this delicious vintage.
2016 Bourgogne Passetoutgrains
A one to one blend of pinot noir and gamay from vineyards in Vosne, Flagey and Gilly
Hmm, a modest but engagingly pure nose – plenty of interest here. A very faint reduction. A lovely freshness and vivacity – love the energy here. A little herby, fine finishing flavour. This is very yum!
Similar distribution of vineyards as the PTG but more in Vosne.
Also fresh and with a faint twist of reduction, slowly it brings flowers too. Extra depth, finer texture, finer flavour too – this is excellent – a mini Vosne. Layers of finishing flavour. The last drops in the glass are beautifully aromatic.
Pascal comments “I like the idea that you should have to wait just a little bit – you can forget it in your cellar – I prefer not to make an easy to drink commercial bourgogne rouge. Whats really important is that the bourgogne should be representative of the vintage, and it’s commercially important for me, its 40% of my production. I choose to limit the yield and I charge a little more, but I hope the wine merits that – there’s 40-45 hl/ha helped by some old vines. In the higher appellations of course need you to work well, but it’s very important, indeed respectful to work to the maximum of what you can.”
All whole-cluster – all the other cuvées have a proportion of whole-cluster but not 100%.
Hmm a lovely width of aroma here, slowly adding both floral notes and depth. Extra sweetness (just 7 hl/ha!) Beautifully smooth tannin, depth of flavour, faint oak. Delicious. Long, long, long. “Very old vines, I don’t know how old the vines are, but there are no records of new plantings since 1902 – only individual vines have been replaced since that time! I think that’s important because it means that the depth of the soil is also not compacted. Replacements here are a blend of home and bought massale selections. But in another 3 years I will have enough for 1000 plants.“
2016 Gevrey-Chambertin
From in the plain, planted by father in 1985 after the frost. At this time was clones. Lieu-dit Murots.
A little smoky oak on the nose here, more reductive than oaky. Hmm, width, freshness, fine again if slightly reductive flavour today. Long, a little mineral, really a super finish here.
2016 Vosne-Romanée
In 2017 Pascal will move to 3 different Vosne cuvées, but today there’s just one from 4 parcels – ‘We’ve been working hard on improving the quality. Maybe one northern cuvée, one mid and one south – the names still to be decided.’
Modest today but the nose is still faintly saline with a spicy complexity. Growing florals – getting better and better – ooh now it’s really top-level! In the mouth a little sweetness, some rigour but beautifully complex and showing fine freshness. Layered finish. Super villages!
2016 Vosne-Romanée 1er Brûlées
Just three hundred metres from the middle pf this parcel to the middle of their Suchots parcel.
Oof – a little more volume of aroma and a super depth of dark and complex, spicy fruit – yes I’m ready for this! Faintly reductive, a mineral line of flavour here, fine small complexities, flowers, red fruit, expressive with a fine line of flavour – rather than volume – great personality! Excellent wine!
A bigger panorama of aroma – faintly reductive again – the stage in the cellar. Wider on the palate but with great freshness, a beautiful central core of fruit, more sensual than the Brûlées today – wide, slowly, slowly fading! The last drops in the glass have no reduction, beautiful, beautiful…
2016 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Les Charmes
80% of the buds were lost here yet still 60% of a normal harvest – much more generous than we expected…
The reduction gives way to a round but preciously complex, indeed flashing complexity here. Ooh different texture, instantly silk only to be replaced by a faint tannin – more volume but less power than Suchots – delicacy of expression. A beauty of a Chambolle!
2016 Nuits St.Georges 1er Les Boudots
About 40% oak here, the other 1ers are typically an equal mix of 1, 2 and 3 year-old barrels.
A big and bright nose – very inviting. A little extra sweetness, a little muscle, a wine with a mineral structure, long, mouth-watering flavour here. Vivacity, freshness but still sucrosity. Pretty much everything!
2016 Echézeaux
A very different aromatic, volume without overt power, faintly floral more than fruit. In the mouth too, there’s volume but not necessarily impact, but there’s also an extra level of fresh complexity. Just a beautiful balance here. The only wine where I note a little barrel texture in the finish – but it will be transient. Beautiful wine.