Tasted in Vosne-Romanée with Marie-Christine Mugneret, 15 November 2021.
Domaine Georges Mugneret Gibourg
5, rue des Communes
21700 Vosne-Romanée
Tel: +33 3 80 61 01 57
www.mugneret-gibourg.com
More reports with Domaine Georges Mugneret Gibourg
There was plenty of building work at the end of this year when I visited; the family house being renovated to prepare for new chambre d’hôtes – “It’s a vast house that is so sparingly used,” says Marie-Christine.
Marie-Christine on 2021:
“For villages, it’s okay because it’s cold here near the Route Nationale, so the vines here were later developing and missed the problem with the frost but high temperatures of the week before, particularly on the hillsides and in the grand crus meant a lot of damage. For us, it’s a case of value more than volume – 80% less in Ruchottes, 60% less in Echezeaux and 50% less in our Clos de Vougeot. May frosts are much worse in the villages, but, as we see, it’s different in April…”
Marie-Christine on 2020:
“There was 40% less here in 2020, and it was the dryness and heat that, together, were to blame. We had enough grapes but by the time we came to harvest them they were light and lacking juice. We had some blocking of the maturity, that together with the concentration means that we can be very surprised by the purity despite some of the wines having 13.2-13.8°. I think, like this, the wines are more classic than the 14° of the 2019s.”
The wines…
I have been away from this domaine too long – what a seriously impressive set of 2020s. You would be happy with any of these, but some are seriously great and worth a special search!
2020 Vosne-Romanée
Nearly normal yields from 3 different parcels.
A vibrant yet concentrated dark fruit aroma. Cool fruit flavour with clarity but also obvious concentration. Vibrant finishing. A super start!
First separated in the 2018 vintage – it was in a share-cropping since 1966 which ended at the end of 2016. In 2017 was blended into the previous wine then separated the year after.
Definitely a more impressive aromatic complexity. Less fat but more intensity, more direction and more saline too – that’s a great villages – even in Vosne!
Middle of the vines on the Vosne side.
A little less aromatic volume but no less fine and pure – super complex. Wide and supple – that’s a beautiful texture even with the accent of tannin. Like a ball gathering speed on the downhill the finish grows in size and energy – Really a great Nuits!
In the middle under the village – a place that suffers less from the dryness. Here about 50% new oak.
This wine has the slightest suggestion of smokiness – perhaps from the barrel but it’s not long-lasting. A core of fleshy bright fruit and some floral top notes. Mouth-filling – clarity of flavour and a fineness of texture. Fine and vibrant finishing – real depth to this finishing flavour. Hmm, I think I might prefer this to the Nuits… The last drops in the glass smell brilliant!
2020 Echézeaux
Rouges du Bas on the hillside – old vines plus a smaller parcel at the bottom next to the wall of Clos de Vougeot in the corner with Grands Echezeaux – vinified together.
An airy but also more forward width of complex aroma – this with some wc which was done for the first time in 2016 due to the low, frosted, volumes – they liked the result so have done it ever since. Intense and wide – really a bubbling energy and complexity of flavour. So, so impressive…
The bottom of the vineyard with Roumier and Rousseau – together the 3 have over 2 of the vineyard’s 3.5 hectares
Ooh – that’s a great nose of freshness and captivating energy – I already expect this to be great wine! Really intense and a little structural – a small grain of tannin and gorgeously melting flavour – you need to keep this – or should – but I love!
2020 Clos de Vougeot
High in the clos with neighbours of Lamarche (soon to be Comte Liger-Belair) and Méo.
Less high toned but there’s still energy in this concentrated pure fruit. More supple than I expect – but concentrated and fresh – the structure is very well covered by this young fruit. There’s a small recovery of the finishing flavour too – here with a little graphite minerality, never forceful wine but beautifully balanced.