Ric's Wine Journal

Another well-known domaine that, somehow, hasn’t garnered as much universal acclaim as it ought to is Domaine Henri Gouges. Still very much a connoisseur’s domaine, Henri Gouges is considered by those who know as the doyen of Nuits-Saint-Georges. Started by Henri in the 1920s, this domaine is now managed by Henri’s great-grandson Gregory Gouges, a very pleasant, courteous and knowledgeable gentleman who welcomed us warmly at No.7 Rue du Moulin on the cold morning of 26 October 2018. I had met Gregory several times in Hong Kong and Paris at dinners, and it was really good finally to be able to step into this beautiful domaine and pay homage.

The wines of Nuits-Saint-Georges, for various reasons, somehow tend to suffer some sort of inferiority complex. Perhaps it is because there are no grand crus at all in spite of there being 37 premier crus within this sprawling commune. Perhaps it could be as well that the wines, in general, tend to be more compact with a certain distracting sandy minerality that may be off-putting to some, lacking the lush opulence and charm of the best burgundy. However, the wines of Henri Gouges surpass all that. They are several notches above your usual Nuits-Saint-Georges, utilising biodynamic methods and vinification by gravity in its modern chai such that the grapes are gently pressed, not crushed. This domaine also pioneered the idea of growing ray grass between rows of vines, primarily to minimise soil erosion but it has the secondary effect as well of forcing the roots of the vines to delve deeper into the earth for nutrients. The reds of Henri Gouges are warm, ripe and beautifully nuanced as a seamless whole. I rate its very difficult-to-obtain Les Saint Georges 1er as grand cru standard and, in fact, Gregory told us that in the old days, Henri did indeed turn down the chance to label Les Saint Georges as grand cru as he did not want to upset his neighbours. Trooping down to its beautiful cellar, the 2017 reds tasted from barrel blew our socks off. Sensing our deep appreciation of his wines, Gregory proceeded to pop several back vintages that further affirmed the greatness of this domaine, culminating in a 1990 Les Saint Georges 1er that was still showing beautifully without any sign of dryness. This domaine is also unique in bottling a deliciously delicate and unique white burgundy from pinot blanc, actually a mutated form of pinot noir that Henri discovered many years ago.  This is really an outstanding address. Thank you very much, Gregory, for your time and generosity for such a memorable visit.

2017 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits-Saint-Georges. Good colour. Warm ripe dark plums  and red fruits on the nose, slightly reductive. Fleshy, medium-full. Good concentration and presence with fine acidity and balance. Less of the usual sandy minerality of this particular commune. Very fine.

2005 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits-Saint-Georges Clos des Porrets 1er monopole. Popped and poured. Good color, exuding elegant red fruits and red roses Highly seamless, rounded and full, showing plenty of charm, superb balance and proportion. Still far from ready. Huge potential. Excellent

2015 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits-Saint-Georges Clos des Porrets 1er monopole. Popped and poured. Rich perfumed feminine glow, beautifully seductive. Very charming on the medium-full palate as well, saturated with dark currants, rose petals and cherries, structured with supple pliant tannins with very well integrated acidity and subtle minerality. Juicy and delicious. Excellent.

2017 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits-Saint-Georges Clos des Porrets 1er monopole. Beautiful bouquet of delicious red and dark fruits and currants with warm ripe textures. Lovely with good concentration, great acidity and presence. Very well balanced with finely detailed subtle minerality. Good finish.

2016 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Pruliers 1er. Great colour. Shy on the nose though the palate is beautifully layered with abundant red fruits and dark roses, displaying superb presence and  great acidity amidst a pliant supple tannin structure. Very lovely.

2017 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Pruliers 1er. Good color. Delicious aromas of red fruits with a faint floral fragrance. Fleshy, excellent in fruit concentration and presence. Rounded with a distinct minerally tone but very well integrated with supple pliant tannins, finishing well.

2017 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Vaucrains 1er. Dark. A little shy though some lovely depth  may be discerned on the nose. The palate is well rounded with warm ripe dark berries and dark plums, very well balanced against subtle minerals, carrying good weight with a very natural unforced feel. Good linearity and finish. Excellent.

2017 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Saints-Georges 1er. Gentle red fruits and rose petals, exuding a lovely feminine lift. Already open on the palate. Fleshy, highly seamless with great suppleness, displaying very fine inner detail of subtle minerals. Superb integration. Finished with great linearity and gentle persistence amidst a mild dryish sandy tone particular to this commune. Beautiful.

1990 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Saints-Georges 1er. Popped and poured from library stock. This wine exudes a glorious complex weighty bouquet of dark fruits and currants amidst a gentle medicinal glow with a lovely sur maturite. Open, fleshy, cool and rounded on a palate layered with fine concentration, subtle acidity and minerals. Seamlessly structured with lovely fullness, finishing with gentle intensity. Very very lovely. What a treat!

2017 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits-Saint-Georges Bourgogne. Unique pinot blanc. Open, displaying good freshness and presence of gentle white fruits with subtle acidity. Good seamless integration, finishing with fine intensity. Not the creamy chalkiness of Chardonnay. More focused and transparent.

2017 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits-Saint-Georges La Perriere 1er. Unique pinot blanc. Lovely perfumed floral fragrance. Very good concentration with greater focus and more depth than its preceding bourgogne, displaying great integration and lovely deep lasting intensity. Excellent and rare on the market.

In spite of numerous superstar estates in Burgundy already well-known to wine lovers, there are still a number of domaines that function quietly below the radar, so to speak, but whose wines can easily match up to any of the best. Domaine Ghislaine Barthod is one of these. When we arrived on the morning of 24 October 2018 amongst the hills of Chambolle, we were warmly welcomed by Madame Ghislaine Barthod herself. She wore a worried look though, as she feared her German hunting dog (I call it a hound) may have slipped out through the open gate. But all was well when the hound was found, and Mme. Barthod happily led us down to its spotlessly clean cellars for a tasting of its 2017 reds.

Ghislaine Barthod

Founded in the 1920s, this estate was formerly a joint-venture between the Barthod and Noellat families. Its wines began to be noticed in the 1950s outside of Burgundy when Mme Ghislaine’s father Gaston took over control of the entire domaine and quality improved. The baton was passed over to Mme Ghislaine in 1987 and, soon after, the domaine took after her name. Focusing entirely on Chambolle-Musigny, I found the wines to be richly layered, delicious, rounded and feminine, not in any sense flabby or weak, but highly elegant and poised with lovely depth. Perhaps unknown to many, the wines of many well-known estates nowadays are made by women, and I find that these wines tend to reflect, either unwittingly or by design, distinct feminine tones. At the end of the barrel tasting, Mme Ghislaine – friendly, charming, highly knowledgeable and efficient-looking – popped another two back-vintage bottles that further affirmed the outstanding quality of this domaine. There may not be any grand crus in its portfolio but who needs them when its premier crus are so good? This is truly a superb address. Bravo et merci beaucoup Madame Ghislaine!

2016 Domaine Ghislaine Barthod Bourgogne rouge. Popped and poured. Deeply aromatic, recalling ripe red fruits, dark cherries with early nuances of cedar. Great concentration and fullness, very well layered with a deeper vein of fruit. Rounded, showing good sophistication. Excellent.

2017 Domaine Ghislaine Barthod Chambolle-Musigny. Glorious color. Delicious red fruits and dark currants on the nose, displaying great presence and acidity. Well structured svelte finely grained tannins. Good finish.

2017 Domaine Ghislaine Barthod Chambolle-Musigny Beaux Bruns 1er. Beautiful deep ruby. Lifted aromas of dark roses and dark cherries with earthy tones. Rather full. Fleshy and rounded, showing good minerally presence and inner detail. Well layered with subtle sweet tannins that are very well managed, finishing well. Delicious.

2017 Domaine Ghislaine Barthod Chambolle-Musigny Les Charmes 1er. Great color. Delicious dark roses, cherries and dark plums dominate amidst gentle sweet red fruits, well set against gentle saline minerals on the palate, displaying excellent presence with understated acidity and structure, finishing well. Excellent.

2017 Domaine Ghislaine Barthod Chambolle-Musigny Les Gruenchers 1er. Deeply aromatic with characters of raisins, dark currants, dark cherries, cedar and dark plums. Dominant minerally tone on the palate, very well integrated with very fine acidity and tannins, well layered with excellent balance that culminated in a soft gentle finish. Excellent.

2017 Domaine Ghislaine Barthod Chambolle-Musigny Les Fuees 1er. Deep lifted aromas of dark cherries, raspberries and mulberries, highly perfumed. Racy in character, displaying very fine concentration and presence with velvety sexy tannins that imparted a certain feminine intensity. Very lovely.

2017 Domaine Ghislaine Barthod Chambolle-Musigny Les Veroilles 1er. Superb deep ruby. Ample bouquet of mulberries, dark cherries and dark roses of great purity. Full-bodied, glowing with great power and luxurious velvety tones tinged with a bit of savoury note, displaying deep intensity of dark fruits, finishing with gentle sweet tannins. Excellent.

2017 Domaine Ghislaine Barthod Chambolle-Musigny Les Cras 1er. Glorious colour, exuding a great rosy fragrance. Open with a gentle minerally tone. Soft, rounded and fleshy, displaying gentle depth. Very lovely balance. Good finish.

2011 Domaine Ghislaine Barthod Chambolle-Musigny Les Fuees 1er. Popped and poured. Deeply aromatic with a lovely lifted fragrance of abundant dark fruits, currants and dark plums. Open, rounded, soft and fleshy. Very lively in its focused acidity and intensity, finishing with good linearity. Excellent.

Another pairing of Roumier and Mugnier within the same week for EUR300, this time on Chambolle-Musigny village off the list of La Cabotte in Nuits-Saints-Georges on the evening of 26 October 2018. As the vintages were dissimilar, both were drunk open label.

2013 Domaine Georges Roumier Chambolle-Musigny. Dark deep colour. Deeply aromatic, exuding delicious dark cherries and dark currants. Medium-bodied and fleshy right off the blocks, displaying superb acidity and excellent presence. Quite seamless, developing a more intense minerally tone after an hour, finishing with good length albeit with a trace of glare. Doesn’t quite possess the deep lush opulence usually associated with this famous domaine, probably a function of the difficult vintage.

2015 Domaine Jacques-Frederic Mugnier Chambolle-Musigny. Equally dark, the Mugnier sported a sharper masculine profile from the first pour with a distinct minerally tone over dark fruits, dark currants and traces of red cherries on the firm palate, structured with dark tannins, slightly sweet. It opened very well after more than an hour, more fleshy and balanced, displaying excellent resolution at the finish, fleshing out with great open intensity. Excellent.

We had the distinct privilege of visiting one of the kings of Puligny, the Domaine Etienne Sauzet, on 24 October 2018 where we were welcomed by Benoit Riffault (married to Emilie Boudot, grand-daughter of Etienne himself who passed on in 1975) who takes charge of the winemaking there. Occupying only 10 hectares of vines scattered throughout Puligny with some additional buy-in grapes (but this has reduced significantly as the domaine has expanded its direct holdings), Etienne Sauzet is highly sought after for its delicacy, power, elegance and precision, a recurring theme as Benoit took us through an extensive line-up of its portfolio, culminating generously in Montrachet Grand Cru. Deploying about a third of new oak for its premier cru and slightly more for grand cru, production has been entirely biodynamic since 2010. I was mightily impressed by the 2017 whites, an outstanding vintage to rival the whites of 2014. In fact, Benoit summed it up succinctly, saying that 2017 is an amalgam of 2010, 2012 and 2014, wines that carry superb ripeness, acidity and structure. Merci Benoit, for your time and generosity.

2017 Domaine Etienne Sauzet Bourgogne Blanc. Beautiful full bouquet of white citrus and dense minerals with traces of grassy elements. Deft and lively in spite of its full body, teasing the palate with its fine acidity and fleeting intensity, imparting great freshness. Excellent.

2017 Domaine Etienne Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet. Blend of 12 village plots. Classic nose of gravel minerals, grassy elements and nutmeg. Lovely fullness and vigour, yet poised with delicate crisp acidity. Cleanly focused, displaying good depth and understated intensity, finishing well.

2017 Etienne Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet La Garenne 1er. Slightly forward bouquet of white fruits though more minerally on the palate with traces of white pepper. Rounded with excellent texture and mouthfeel. Fine elegance.

2017 Etienne Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet Hameau du Blagny 1er. Crisp clean nose of white fruits and fig, nicely lifted. Highly supple and seamless with great purity of fruit, caressing the palate with luxurious oily textures amidst understated intensity. Very lovely.

2017 Domaine Etienne Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet Les Referts 1er. Apricot, peaches and pears dominate on the nose though the palate is infinitely more minerally. Gentle in depth, displaying good density of fruit with crisp acidity, very cleanly focused, finishing well.

2017 Domaine Etienne Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet Les Perrières 1er. Highly effusive in intense yellow citrus. Highly supple and deft, displaying superb balance between fruit and minerals, rather understated in intensity with traces of earth. Very well integrated, transgressing the palate with great linearity and cohesion. I like it.

2017 Domaine Etienne Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet Champ Canet 1er. Good intensity of honeysuckle and fig on the nose, producing lovely aromatic lift. Beautiful minerally palate, quite full, poised with quiet intensity and acidity. Drinking very well.

2017 Domaine Etienne Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet Les Combettes 1er. Wonderful rich bouquet of creamy chalkiness and understated minerals. Rather full-bodied. More forward with more density but the balance is immaculate, beautifully proportioned with delicate yellow fruits. Wonderfully textured, rounded and poised, finishing with lasting persistence. Gorgeous.

2017 Etienne Sauzet Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru. Highly refined and poised on the nose. Medium-full. Open and rounded with quiet elegance and sheer refinement, displaying plenty of quiet charm, ease and understatement. Regal, befitting its status.

2017 Etienne Sauzet Montrachet Grand Cru. Nicely layered with gentle yellow fruit and minerals on the nose with a quiet lift. Very rounded and smooth on the palate, displaying great detail and definition throughout with a lovely deeper vein of minerality that was very seamlessly integrated. Resplendent with an ethereal feel. Flows through palate entirely as an absolute entity, never out of place, finishing with lasting persistence. Superb.

2017 Etienne Sauzet Montrachet Grand Cru

The mere mention of Domaine Coche-Dury is enough to make even the most seasoned wine lover salivate. But how about a visit to this Holy Grail of Meursault? Established in the 1920s, this famous domaine really came into its own when Jean-Francois Coche took over from his father Georges in 1973, adding his wife’s family name of Dury to the wine. Nowadays, his son Raphael Coche, a good-looking tall slim energetic young man, has taken over the reins since the turn of the century, and it was Raphael who welcomed us to the cellars of this modest and unassuming estate at 6.00 PM on 23 October 2018 to taste through a selected line-up of its whites. Through a combination of blessed terroir and expert viticultural craftsmanship, the wines of Coche-Dury are synonymous with supreme power, elegance, exquisite intensity and delicacy. Indeed, throughout the tasting, I found myself reaching for the same superlatives. Such is the level of precision in the winemaking that even within its stable of Meursault wines of individual village lieu-dit, one is able to appreciate significant differences in character. If its bourgogne blanc alone is already capable of raising the bar to great heights, you can barely imagine the exalted standards of its other whites. Speaking only French (and he detests any photography during tasting, preferring that we concentrate fully on the wines), Raphael took us through the barrel tasting in quick time. After sending  us into orgasmic throes, Raphael generously fished out a mature bottle of red to round off the evening (one must not forget Coche-Dury makes splendid reds as well). A very big merci beaucoup Raphael, for your time and for granting us this unforgettable privilege.

2017 Domaine Coche-Dury Bourgogne. Striking bouquet of intense white fruits and citrus. Excellent in concentration and presence, revealing great definition, detail and layering that is totally unprecedented for a bourgogne, finishing with great linearity. What is bourgogne for Coche-Dury is really grand cru for many others.

2017 Domaine Coche-Dury Meursault. Reticent. Slightly reductive on the palate but this wine is immensely structured with great concentration of fruit, definition and detail, absolutely compelling in its controlled intensity and sublime acidity that conferred superb mouthfeel, finishing with great power and persistence. Gorgeous.

2017 Domaine Coche-Dury Meursault Narvaux. Great expression and purity of white fruits and citrus, rounded with superb mouthfeel, displaying exquisite intensity, detail and layering with absolute freshness enhanced by its slightly forward balance, finishing with traces of incense. Excellent.

2017 Domaine Coche-Dury Meursault Rougeots. Reserved tone of white fruits, revealing a lovely elegance in its poised unfettered expression aided by sublime acidity and seamless integration with a solid core of intense white citrus, finishing well.

2017 Domaine Coche-DuryMeursault Les Chevalieres. Rich creamy tonal textures on the nose matched by an equally magnificent minerally tone on the palate, displaying superb balance and sublime acidity, finishing with understated intensity. Yet to fully flesh out but its powerful lifted bouquet is truly mesmerising.

Raphael Coche

2017 Domaine Coche-Dury Meursault Les Caillerets 1er. Lifted tones of white floral fragrance and white fruits. Quite full on the palate, displaying great balance and elegance with a deeper understated intensity of fruit that is superbly integrated with sublime minerality and quiet acidity, finishing with a persistent minerally glow. Superb.

2017 Domaine Coche-Dury Meursault Genevrieres 1er. Intense white fruits with a lovely floral fragrance leading to a superb concentration of complex citrus and almonds. Beautifully layered with so much richness and tight detail, yet supremely elegant and integrated, displaying great refinement and controlled power. Outstanding.

2017 Domaine Coche-Dury Meursault Perrieres 1er. Complex bouquet of intense citrus, nutmeg and white pepper. Rather full. Great concentration of fruit with superb sublime acidity, displaying great precision and refined intensity. Supreme purity and expression. Magical!

2017 Domaine Coche-Dury Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru. Highly exuberant nose of rounded white fruits and floral tones with a dash of white pepper. Wonderfully layered with superb balance, precision and sophistication though rather understated in intensity. Seamlessly coherent with supreme power and confidence. Everything is present in great proportion and balance as a single entity such that you cannot pick out any individual strand. Little wonder that this wine fetches astronomical prices. C’est magnifique !

1999 Domaine Coche-Dury Auxey-Duresses. Still superb in colour, this red exuded a complex kaleidoscope of cedar, cinnamon, sweet incense, ripe cherries and rose petals on the nose, superbly seductive. The palate is layered with great definition of complex red fruits with a generous ample bloom, yet gentle and open and supremely integrated with nothing out of place. A splendid expression of pinot noir. Magnificent.

Over lunch at Bistrot du Bord de l’Eau at Levenois, outside Beaune, on 22 October 2018, we spotted this pair of village wines from the same vintage, allowing us to compare the efforts of the top two of the very best producers in Meursault, reasonably priced at EUR370 in total from the restaurant. Both were popped and poured and tasted simultaneously.

Coche-Dury (left) and Roulot

The 2015 Domaine Coche-Dury Meursault displayed a glorious luminous gold, stamping its class with a dense effusive bouquet of intense oily citrus laced with traces of gun smoke while the palate is textured with chiselled chalky minerals amidst a tight immense concentration of white fruits and yellow citrus that eventually loosened up with expansive breadth, depth and layering, yet maintaining a superb sense of refinement and sophistication in spite of so much verve and vigour. Truly outstanding.

In contrast, the 2015 Domaine Roulot Meursault Luchets was equally luminous though more open right from the start, exuding a deep intense bouquet of delicate citrus that shone through a palate of dense minerals, excellent in concentration of white fruits and yellow citrus that teased the palate with fleeting deftness at the beginning, singing with refined intensity and controlled power as it developed further weight and richness, yet never heavy as it finished with lingering persistence. A supreme example of delicate elegance at its most sublime. Outstanding.

To all wine lovers, Domaine Armand Rousseau truly needs no introduction. Producing wines of power, elegance and great finesse that charm and captivate the senses immeasurably, demand for these reds far outstrips supply with prices to match. The domaine first began operations at the turn of the 20th century and has expanded over the decades through further acquisitions with holdings now totalling about 14 hectares, centered predominantly around Gevrey Chambertin. The domaine is still located at the original site where Armand first started, and it was at this same address where we were warmly welcomed by Eric Rousseau, grandson of Armand, on the morning of 23 October 2018. Genial and unassuming, Eric nowadays prefers to hand most of the running of the estate to his daughter Cyrielle Rousseau who took us down to its cellars where the 2017 and the freshly harvested 2018 are sitting in barrel. If my impression of the 2017s that we tasted is any indication, wine lovers can be assured the great style and heritage of this famous domaine still continues unchanged in superb hands. The 2017s of Domaine Armand Rousseau are already outstanding even straight from barrel. Truly, every wine speaks of its terroir in uncomplicated terms, capturing beautifully the very essence of Burgundy. I must really thank Cyrielle and Eric for taking time to entertain our intrusion into their busy lives, and for continuing the family tradition so well so that we may enjoy the results of their efforts.

Eric Rousseau

Cyrielle Rousseau

2017 Domaine Armand Rousseau Gevrey Chambertin Clos du Chateau. Charming gentle bouquet. Rounded with lovely acidity and presence amidst saline minerals.

2017 Domaine Armand Rousseau Gevrey Chambertin. Aromatic red fruits, exuding delicious fragrance with a hint of gunsmoke. Fullish presence. Lovely concentration amidst understated acidity. Very correct in its Burgundian character.

2017 Domaine Armand Rousseau Lavaux St Jacques 1er. Clear gentle purple, exuding an arresting rosy fragrance. Quite full. Superb presence and concentration of luscious red fruits underscored by dark currants with fine detail, displaying great balance between fruit and minerals, finishing with highly sophisticated tannins. Outstanding.

2017 Armand Rousseau Chambertin Grand Cru

2017 Domaine Armand Rousseau Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er. A trace of woody element is evident amongst the expanse of dark fruits. Medium-bodied and fleshy, rather gentle in depth and layering with good concentration of fruit on a bed of mild earthy tones. Very fine.

2017 Domaine Armand Rousseau Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru. Reticent but most alluring on the palate where notes of raspberries and mulberries dominate, carrying good weight and verve with very finely-grained exciting tannins though understated in structure.

2017 Domaine Armand Rousseau Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru. Glorious color, exuding abundant ripe red fruits and dark currants with a hint of chocolate. Fullish in tone, structured with svelte tannins, displaying superb layering, balance and great acidity, finishing with great persistence.

2017 Domaine Armand Rousseau Clos de la Roche Grand Cru. Gentle fragrance of ripe raspberries and dark currants on the nose, while the medium-bodied palate is dominated by saline minerals supported by red fruits. Highly supple and seamless.

2017 Domaine Armand Rousseau Ruchottes-Chambertin Grand Cru. Understated red fruits and dark currants lead to a supremely elegant palate that displayed great coherence of immense fruit, acidity and minerality. Superbly balanced. Utterly seamless with understated power, finishing with superb linearity. Glorious.

2017 Domaine Armand Rousseau Clos St Jacques 1er. Absolutely beautiful on the nose, exuding a beguiling sense of dense red fruits and deep currants with early complexity that was most captivating, matched by a beautifully layered palate. Rounded, fleshy and utterly seamless, displaying rich elegance and purity. A complete wine. Outstanding.

2017 Domaine Armand Rousseau Chambertin Grand Cru. This is a wine of supreme elegance in every dimension, glowing with an arresting bouquet of ripe rose petals and wonderfully ripe and delicious complex red fruits that imparted amazing brilliance on the full palate. Open with sublime acidity and intensity. Utterly seamless and whole, saturating the palate in lush sensuous mouthfeel, finishing with great power amidst velvety tones that lingered with great persistence. Absolutely wonderful. I cannot imagine it being any better.

2017 Domaine Armand Rousseau Chambertin-Clos des Beze Grand Cru. This wine opens with the lovely fragrance of bright red fruits that conferred superb concentration and fullness on the juicy palate, open with very fine intensity and acidity, yet understated in structure. Like all the very best top cru, this wine doesn’t call attention to itself. Excellent.

Cyrielle Rousseau

Domaine Georges Mugneret-Gibourg was established in the 1930s, managed initially by Georges Mugneret who was an ophthalmologist with an equal passion in wine-making. He was succeeded by his daughters Marie-Christine and Marie-Andree, and it was the latter who greeted us warmly when we knocked on the doors of this estate in Vosne-Romanee on the morning of 22 October 2018. Marie-Andree still remembered my first meeting with her last December at the Palais des Grands Cru in Paris where I’d sat at her table. The wines of Mugneret-Gibourg hail from various holdings in Vosne-Romanee and Nuits-Saints-Georges totalling some 8 hectares, mostly de-stemmed during vinification. Made by an all-female team all from within the family from her generation onwards, one cannot help but notice that the wines tend to share common traits of feminine expression: wines of great purity, charm, and graceful elegance, well-proportioned with understated power and intensity. For reasons unclear, the wines of Mugneret-Gibourg still tend to remain under the radar. But from the quality that I’d come across in the past, and now further affirmed by the 2017 horizontal tasting in its cellars today, I’d say its time has come and this is where the smart money should be. My sincere thanks to Marie-Andree for her generosity and lovely hospitality.

2017 Domaine Georges Mugneret-Gibourg Bourgogne. Beautiful dark color. Delicious aromas dark currants and dark cherries, well replicated on the medium-bodied palate with an earthy floor. Good acidity with darkish tones. Very well integrated, just a tad straightforward.

2017 Domaine Georges Mugneret-Gibourg Vosne-Romanee. Aged in 50% new oak, this wine shows a lovely dark ruby that promised dark fruits, dark cherries and currants, delivering with excellent presence and definition with excellent acidity, carrying good weight. Quite seamless, finishing with good mouthfeel, just a little short.

2017 Domaine Georges Mugneret-Gibourg Nuits-Saint-Georges Au Bas de Combe. This village is also displays a lovely ruby with a keen bouquet of ripe raspberries, revealing soft dark plums on the seamless palate that imparted gentle elegance and fine acidity. Beautiful. Only 3-4 barrels.

2017 Domaine Georges Mugneret-Gibourg Nuits-Saints-Georges Aux Chaignots 1er. More earthy with a distinct oaky note. Good presence of dark fruits with recessed earthy minerals. Medium-bodied. Elegant but a little reserved. Compared with the Au Bas de Combe, this appears to struggle a little to express the fruit.

2017 Domaine Georges Mugneret-Gibourg Chambolle-Musigny Les Fusselottes 1er. A bit shy on the nose though the abundance of ripe dark currants beneath is unmistakable, imparting lovely concentration, acidity and freshness with understated intensity, finishing well.

2017 Domaine Georges Mugneret-Gibourg Echezeaux Grand Cru. Deep color. Shy but promises plenty of ripe dark fruits and currants, displaying excellent purity and ease.  Well layered with great suppleness, utterly seamless with plenty of lovely acidity, finishing with good linearity. A classic expression of Vosne-Romanee though distinctly feminine. Very charming. Vinified with 15% whole bunches. I really love this.

2017 Domaine Georges Mugneret-Gibourg Ruchottes-Chambertin Grand Cru. Beautiful purple. Beguiling bouquet of dark roses and ripe raspberries. Highly supple. Very fine presence with a dash of earthiness underscored by subtle acidity and intensity though I thought there was just a trace of green elements.

2017 Domaine Georges Mugneret-Gibourg Clos Vougeot Grand Cru. Good color, imbued with ripe raspberries, dark currants and earthy tones on a minerally bed, displaying supple acidity and fine presence. Rounded, soft and fleshy.

Marie-Andree Mugneret

If you have walked around the village of Chambolle, you couldn’t have failed to notice signs indicating a restaurant with the same name. Le Chambolle, like most restaurants in Burgundy, is a small cosy setting efficiently run by just one person on the floor, serving great food with a relatively small but distinguished wine list to match. Here, on the evening of 21 October 2018, we spotted the 2011 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru of two great domaines that cost less than retail prices. We had them popped and poured and tasted side-by-side simultaneously in blinded fashion.

2011 Domaine Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru, at €460. Correct pinot tint. Presented initially with just a hint of saline minerals on the nose along with raspberries and traces of dark cherries. Somewhat reserved. On the palate, the wine was tight and clean; displaying good focus and concentration with fine acidity and tension though there was a trace of minerally glare. It fleshed out better over time, closing the gap to the Roumier with more weight and intensity, exuding a lovely rosy fragrance but it still seemed a little distant.

2011 Domaine George Roumier Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru, €550. Considerably richer in color, which gave away its identity right from the outset, this wine was similarly reticent at first, hinting only at rich ripe dark cherries before taking its time to seduce with more sensual aromatics while the palate is awashed in lush opulence on a bed of plush velvety tones, drawing fine tension, very well layered with fine depth, detail and concentration. Not entirely seamless but everything really gels so well such that one isn’t drawn to its fruit intensity, structure, minerality or acidity. Everything is there in the subconscious, beautifully proportioned with palpable power and supreme elegance. That is the magical draw of Roumier.

Shortly after our highly successful Cros Parantoux dinner, the same group led by Dr Ngoi set the bar even higher: an entire line-up of Musigny Grand Cru specifically 2005 or older, no less, on the evening of 10 October 2018. While Chambertin Grand Cru is relatively abundant, Musigny Grand Cru, totaling only 10.3 hectares, is much harder to come by. However, with CHS offering to buy dinner and the staff of Otto Ristorante upping their ante with a superbly executed white truffle menu, we could not refuse. Tasting ten different vintages stretching from 1990 to 2005 from six different producers (there are altogether eleven owners of vines in Musigny Grand Cru), this line-up will certainly take some beating. Certainly, most of the terroir characteristics from this hallowed plot came through: these are deeply-coloured crimson reds that promise a generous expanse of ripe red fruits, cherries and raspberries with a most sensual silky mouthfeel on a bed of earthy tones, bringing back fond memories of our wonderful trip last November when we parked our van right at the spot dividing Les Petits Musigny from Les Musigny. Even though Comte Georges de Vogüé occupies the lion’s share of Musigny (almost 7.2 ha), six of the ten vintages this evening came from other producers. My sincere thanks to everyone for their generosity and effort, especially to CHS and to LF for his insightful pre-dinner lecture on Musigny.

Les Petits Musigny on the left, Les Musigny on the right.

Les Petits Musigny (right), diagonally across from Chateau du Clos de Vougeot.

Champagne Ruinart Blanc de Blancs NV, from the restaurant list. Lightly toasted on the nose with some yeasty pungency while white fruits and  peaches dominate on the palate. Rounded with good definition, covered with a lovely expanse of very soft gentle bubbles. Would be better if it had more time. Very fine.

2005 Maison Joseph Drouhin Musigny Grand Cru (0.672 ha), courtesy of LF. This wine exudes glorious rose petals and red cherries, nicely ripe and feminine. Medium-bodied and open, displaying plenty of grace, balance and proportion particularly in its seamless integration and subtle acidity. A showcase in peerless elegance with a suggestion of veiled power. As always with Drouhin, its wines are very correct in every way in terms of colour, expression and mouthfeel. Absolutely lovely. Tended to fade when compared with some of the heavier examples of Musigny later in the line-up but I felt the Drouhin is outstanding in its own right.

2005 Domaine Louis Jadot Musigny Grand Cru (0.1665 ha), courtesy of LF. Fascinating to compare Musigny from the same vintage with another negociant-producer. The Jadot is slightly darker and more lifted, highly expressive in dark roses and red cherries tinged with tangerines. Very ripe, imbued with plenty of vigour and freshness, just a tad more assertive in acidity though its silky intensity of red fruits is really quite beautiful. Still tight with plenty of upfront power. Unlike the Drouhin, this needs more time to settle down.

2004 Domaine Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Musigny Grand Cru (1.1358 ha), courtesy of Dr Ngoi. This wine possesses an effusive bouquet of red fruits, dark cherries and ripe dark plums, absolutely stunning in tone, richness and depth. Surprisingly quiet though, rounded with fine presence and subtle intensity that drew fine tension across the palate, draped in soft velvety elegance, finishing with infinite feminine grace. Mugnier is totally in a class of its own, which explains the hefty prices its Musigny commands. Outstanding.

2001 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Musigny Grand Cru (7.1208 ha), courtesy of CJ. This wine exudes subtle earthy tones with some attractive pungency on the nose, a little reticent though the palate is imbued with abundant warm ripe fruits, dark currants and wild red berries within a slim profile, missing the opulence of the preceding wines which is likely a vintage-specific characteristic, rather minerally at the finish with a tinge of glare though it softened after some time. Just a tad stern and unsettled on the whole.

1999 Domaine de la Vougeraie Musigny Grand Cru (0.21 ha), courtesy of CJ. Dark in colour, promising dark fruits, black currants and dark plums. Rounded and fleshy, layered with lovely acidity and fine concentration. Distinctly feminine, becoming more reductive and focused over time as it tapered to a quiet distinguished finish.

1999 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Musigny Grand Cru, courtesy of KG. Still impenetrably dark, proffering a rich bouquet of delicious dark fruits and currants that delivered broad swathes of warm ripe fruit on the palate that contrasted beautifully with darker undertones. Fleshy and beautifully rounded, layered with sweet tannins. May not have peaked. Lovely.

1996 Domaine Jacques Prieur Musigny Grand Cru (0.77 ha), courtesy of Vic. Seductive notes of camphor and red fruits hinted at great depth, matched by a forward balance of delicious red fruits superbly layered with complex minerality, bristling with subtle intensity as it tapered to a glowing finish. Highly successful and may not have peaked, the only gripe being that it may not quite demonstrate the Musigny terroir as well as Mugnier or Comte de Vogüé.

1996 Domaine Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Musigny Grand Cru, courtesy of HS. Dusky red, highly evolved on the nose where rose petals and camphor dominate with superb lift. Fleshy and highly supple on the palate, displaying wonderful depth against a gentle backdrop of cedary textures, distinctly feminine in structure, culminating in a long persistent finish. Glorious stuff.

1995 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Musigny Grand Cru, courtesy of Ric & MH. Poured from magnum. Still displaying great colour, this wine exudes an enticing bouquet of gun smoke and warm gravelly minerals imbued with great concentration and structure with superb definition of inner detail. Rather minerally on the whole and a tad stern but this wine is beautifully proportioned with great freshness and verve amidst a ripe red plummy tone. Can easily hold for many more years. Superb.

1990 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Musigny Grand Cru, courtesy of Dr Ngoi. Bright crimson, this wine is better on the nose where there is an intoxicating richness of red fruits and red cherries with tertiary nuances of cedar and cinnamon. Fleshy and highly supple with deft acidity, though distinctly leaner in structure on the palate where it is layered with earthy undertones, just a tad short but holding up well. Some thought it was a little oxidized as the provenance of this bottle has not been quite ideal but I disagree. This is, perhaps, not the best example of a 1990 Comte de Vogüé Musigny but it hasn’t gone bad at all.

2009 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Bourgogne Blanc, courtesy of LF. From a 0.66 ha plot exclusively planted by Comte de Vogüé and re-labelled as Musigny Grand Cru Blanc from 2015 onwards, this wine has shut down in spite of having been aerated for three hours, offering only fleeting glimpses of a palate subtly layered with gentle chalky minerals, rather supple with good definition. Best to lay down.