Lucien Muzard – 2017

26.12.2018billn

Tasted with Claude and Hervé Muzard in Santenay, 13 November 2018.

Domaine Lucien Muzard et Fils
11, bis rue de la Cour Verreuil
21590, Santenay
Tel. +33 (0)3 80 20 61 85

Hervé on 2018:
2018 – like all the vignerons I expect – makes us very happy. We had a good white harvest with great degrees. The reds were also good though with less yield on the hillsides due to the dryness. The triage table was redundant – in 25 years I’ve never seen that. The vines should have suffered but in the end it seemed not, there was enough reserve in the soil.

Hervé on 2017:
In 2017 we started our harvest on exactly the same day as in 2018 – 3rd September. But we have a different style; less overtly mature vs the 2018s – I would say more classically Burgundian. We produced a little less white in 2017 vs 2018, the volume of reds wa roughly equivalent – in fact we have lots of vines over 60 years old so we actually had a relatively linear yield.

The wines…

These wines are easy to approach which is surprising given the depth that they display – 2017 in a nutshell – at the best addresses of-course! I should visit more often…!

The 2017 whites have now been in bottle for 1 week and the Bourgogne Rouge was done just before the harvest – 70% in tank elevage for that. All the rest are tank samples with bottling planned for January – these were racked just after harvest and are in tank. Normally the domaine bottles in March but “the wines had early malos and because that they seem more advanced in their elevage, hence, the earlier bottling.

Screw-cap is used for some markets for the Bourgogne, all the rest ‘classic’ cork closures.

2017 Bourgogne Pinot Noir
Not the new Côte d’Or label – ‘it’s already sufficiently complicated.’ Three different parcels. All the wines have 30-40% whole clusters, just a little less in the Bourgogne – a little pigeage when cold before fermentation and then remontage just to keep the cap moist.
Hmm – a nice big and open-armed invitation from darker red fruit – very nice. Hmm, wide, fine definition to this approachable fruit – a lift of freshness in the middle then mouth-watering at the end. Super juicy finishing. Simply a great Bourgogne!

2017 Maranges
Two parcels one near Dezises, the other Sampigny.
A nice depth of fruit, faintly spiced, though tighter in delivery vs the Bourgogne. Hmm, love the depth and quality of the texture here – good concentration too. Layered delivery of flavour rather than super energetic. Clean delicious flavour – yum!

2017 Santenay Vieilles-Vignes
Three parcels; one in the village, another towards Chassagne and the last in Charmes next to Clos Rousseau. 30% elevage in foudres for this cuvée – ‘keeping freshness and a little co2 without too much oak.’
A more vibrant and attractive nose. Supple, silky – lovely depth – just a little growth of structure in the middle – a fine finishing wave of faintly creamy old-vine flavour in the finish – yes the average over 70 year-old vines here…

2017 Santenay Champs Claude
80 year-old vines, at the foot of Morgeot.
Fresher, faintly spiced by oak perhaps. Supple, open and fresh, nicely layered flavour, long and delicious – a nice blend of energy and concentration. Delicious again with a fine coating of tannin on the finish… Excellent!

2017 Santenay 1er La Maladière
An important parcel of 5 hectares for the domaine. 20 to 50 year-old vines, averaging-out at about 30 – just half a hectare planted with chardonnay.
A deeper, more concentrated red fruit note at the core. Beautiful – lots of volume, fine texture, layers of fine flavour, plenty of sucrosity – great – bravo!
2017 Santenay 1er Clos Faubard
Near Gravières – above; a ‘well sited nearly 2 hectares’ with just a little white too. Very red soil here, still with plenty of small stones.
A concentration of pure red fruit again. Hmm, nice volume again, perhaps a hint more depth to the fruit but this clearly cut from the same stock as the Maladière – fine concentration. Delicious again – bravo – such a great finish!

2017 Santenay 1er Clos des Mouches
Also near Clos Faubard. The name has a similar origin to Beaune – beehives… Also foudres used here – the foudres hold onto the CO2 more, so easier and need less so2 – but a smaller one.
Fresh good depth – less direct aromatic concentration is visible. Despite the nose, more density here – concentrated wide, depth of flavour and texture in tandem, saline too – but good energy and lovely flavour complexity – excellent – some great wines here!

2017 Santenay 1er Gravières
More open, more strawberry fruit, less to see in the depth of the aroma. Supple again, plenty of volume to fill the mouth – just a suggestion of grain to this texture – but still very modest. A super ensemble, fewer points of distinction vs the previous wines but still absolutely excellent.

2017 Santenay 1er Clos de Tavannes
Just Vincent Girardin with a little white here, the rest is all red. All barrel here and approaching 30% new.
Just a suggestion of reduction here – but there’s fine depth nonetheless. Ooh lovely drive to this wine, leaching concentrated flavour from the sides of your mouth – slowly filling every space. A touch of oak in the flavour but there’s great line and fine texture to this wine – simply excellent again!

2017 Santenay 1er Beauregard
Here the only wine with all whole cluster, a shorter elevage and the alcoholic fermentation is finished in barrel.
Much higher toned nose, more freshness, slightly phenolic and with a touch of barrel below. Ooh that’s big in the mouth – completely mouth-filling. Where did that come from – grand-cru style, with plenty of oak flavour slowly rising to the top but this is special wine that you should wait at least 5 years for – but it’s easily great – bravo!
2017 Chassagne-Montrachet Vieilles-Vignes
The oldest vines of the domaine now about 95 years old. On a ‘very clay’ soil near Morgeot.
Fresh and a little firework spice from oak. Some gas here. Slowly the wine fills every space in your mouth and is certainly less oaky than the Beauregard – fine depth and complexity of pretty flavour – deeply flavoured, deeply attractive wine – bravo again!

2017 Pommard Les Cras
Also very old vines.
Not so wide bit there’s fine depth and a slightly floral top not that makes this nose very attractive. Supple, actually a very wide palate that’s open and complex, subtly oaked and with very fine tannin. Long and satisfying – but I prefer the flavour of the previous two wines – but there’s such a great finish here.

The whites:

2017 Santenay Champs Claude
Bottled just in the last two weeks. 1,5 ha in red and another 1.5 ha in white.
Hmm – bright – open – slightly perfumed, ‘drink me’ nose. Volume, a touch of CO2, a touch of salinity too. Round but fresh, good depth. Simply a very tasty wine – excellent – and long too.

2017 Santenay 1er Maladière Blanc
Young vines planted in 2013. Mainly 350 l barrels but the champs claude has a little foudre too
A tighter nose, faintly floral. More volume and energy, a good depth of fruit flavour too. Long and vibrant finish – ooh that’s good! Excellent young vine cuvée

2017 Santenay 1er Clos Faubard Blanc
Just one 350 barrel – 1 year-old. Very red soil here like for the red.
A little firework reduction on the nose. Fresh, round, supple, lovely energy and depth to the flavour too. Hmm – beautiful finishing energy and delicious flavour in the finish.

2017 Chassagne-Montrachet
Also young vines – about 10 years old – on clay soil near Abbaye de Morgeot – têtes de moines limestone here that deflect the blades of the plough. Also a small production, only a 350 l and one normal barrel.
Another faint reduction. Slightly in the mouth too – more architectural volume – pure, open, slowly melting with fresh flavour. A little oak in the finish – wait for this, it’s very sophisticated compared to the others. Long, too.

2017 Meursault Les Meix Chavaux
Bought in 2011. One part on high from 1920, 1990 and 2001 the other parts. Vines sited in the direction of Auxey. 0.75 ha. All 350l barrels. This already bottled.
Hmm – a fine and composed with of aroma – faintly spicy. More direction, beautiful freshness, lithe and complex. Layered flavour super-delicious – bravo. Very long!

2017 Puligny-Montrachet
A contract purchase. Bottled last week.
Open and with a certain freshness – less width vs the Meursault but no less interesting. A more reductive experience – layered, mobile – depth of flavour too. So much here. But carafe to remove the reductive elements – you will be rewarded. Great finishing. Excellent wine.

2016 Corton-Charlemagne
Bought grapes from a producer in Pernand. 3 barrels, one new, two are 1-year-old.
A mineral and reductive style together, always suggesting but never fully delivering flowers too. Big, vibrant, with a depth of concentrated flavour. Really concentrated but fresh and with fine energy – a wine for the ages, touched by salinity. Great wine.

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