Tasted in Chambolle-Musigny with Frédéric Mugnier, 20 August, 2020.
Domaine Jacques Frederic Mugnier
Rue de Vergy
21220 Chambolle-Musigny
Tel: +33 3 80 62 85 39
www.mugnier.fr
More reports for Domaine Mugnier.
Frédéric on 2019, first last year and then his thoughts from this year:
“In 2019. For the moment, things look not bad. We have a hint of oïdium, but on the other hand, it’s too dry for mildew. We see a little damage from the sun, but this year there was no frost. Certain areas have a lot of coulure, and that’s mainly down to two big passages of rain during the flowering period – the later flowers lost less – but because of this, it looks like a smaller harvest.
In 2020. “It was the easiest harvest of my career – the best grapes that I’ve seen. There was nothing to triage, we had comfortable weather for harvesting and we had a good team – really it was the best harvest of my career. The season was relatively balanced, record temperatures at the end of June and again at the end of July but in each case for only 2-3 days. It eas once said that vines had to suffer to deliver their best results but more and more I think they need to be comfortable, I think that this is what brings harmony.”
And in terms of the market this year? “We delayed selling the 2018s this year as so many establishments have been closed. Even now, I don’t think that commerce has caught up much since May.”
The wines…
Concentrated, ripe but impeccably balanced wins from Monsieur Mugnier in 2019 – instant classics.
All 2019s tasted from barrel:
From 2 parcels…
Good aromatic volume, pure fruits with a fine focus to them. Mouth-filling, here is concentration, supple wine, beautifully textured. Long, finishing. This is a great villages.
2019 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Les Fuées
Ooh! A more vibrant, beautifully floral perfume too – a heady perfume. Not necessarily that much more concentration than the villages, but certainly with more impact and extra depth of flavour. More intense finishing too – a weight with perfect delivery. The last drops in the glass with a beautiful acid cherry note. Simply excellent.
No, we didn’t get any of the hail in 2020, it was close to the centre of Nuits.
A very different aromatic; wider, more insistent, partly floral but different blooms versus the Chambolles. Great texture again despite a different shape to the structure, layered, but still freshly delivered fruit. Strongly finishing and showcasing a very mineral persistence. This is a great Nuits with a great finish.
Here is a large automatic volume, but showing less focus than the previous wines. But its only a question of aeration as a perfume begins to form and becomes more and more interesting. Seemingly more direct freshness and more minerality – here is the energy of Bonnes-mares. Saline, intense finishing. For many years I used to much prefer the Fuées here, but not any more. Bravo, so detailed, so energetic – great 2019.
2019 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Les Amoureuses
As is usually the case, here is an extra depth of aroma, always a little special. The florals are present but, once more, a different bloom to the Bonnes-Mares. Fuller, perhaps due to a faint level of gas. Lots of impact, here is concentration, finishing a little mineral. A beauty…
The nose here resembles most closely that of the Amoureuses; the depth here is amplified by a little reduction. Direct, mineral, mouth-watering flavours, but here’s a wine that says come back in December to re-taste! The balance and the width of finishing flavour are marvellous, but the first part refuses to leave its bed this morning. Fred says more like December 2030!
2019 Nuits St.Georges 1er Clos de la Marechale Blanc
0.6 ha now in white in the Clos. The roots are 38-years-old, grafted to chardonnay in 2004-2007.
Lots of high-toned aromatic attack – almost waxy behind. Good mouth-filling shape. Waves of concentrated but finely balanced flavour. Saline edged and actually quite long finishing too. Needs time of course, but this has much potential. I think I will like it!
There is one response to “JF Mugnier – 2019”
the Marachel chardonnay is a rare beast. a friend produced a bottle the other night blind and we all thought it Meursault like but it had some work on it – lots of lees and barrel funk involved. Quite textural. Interested to see him increasing the cuvee through grafting