Domaine Georges MUGNERET-GIBOURG -- 2013s from Barrel, 2012s from Bottle

Domaine Georges MUGNERET-GIBOURG (Vosne-Romanée)

2013s from Barrel, 2012s from Bottle

Two sisters, Marie-Christine and Marie-Andrée, both nées Mugneret, run this domaine along with their mother. They took over in 1988 when Dr. Georges Mugneret died, too soon, of cancer. At the end of this visit with Marie-Andrée, I mentioned that I had visited Mugnier and Roumier that morning and that later in the week would be at estates such as Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and Rousseau. She, in response, noted how her customers seemed all to prefer those estates and leave some other names, rated highly by some critics (but not me) out. A question of consistency of taste, I suppose, and one that tells you all you need to know about the style of wine here. Alas, quantities of these wines are tiny, and even if the estate is not as well-known as, say, Roumier or Rousseau, demand is high enough to make prices formidable.

Harvesting began on 3 or 5 October, and conditions were not easy because of the rain. But due to substantial work in the vineyard due to the oïdium (powdery mildew) over the summer, there was not a huge amount of sorting necessary at harvest. Grapes came in at 12-12.4º natural alcohol, so chaptalization was light – mostly just to extend fermentations. As usual here, grapes were entirely destemmed.

2013 Bourgogne

As always, this is a quality wine. It features lovely red fruits, a smooth texture, and a medium-light weight. There is a touch of smoke/earth here, too. It is a delicious wine. (86-89)

2013 Vosne-Romanée

Half the vineyard here was lost due to the sudden freeze on December 19, 2009; a little bit of the fruit from the replanted vines is in this wine, more in 2014. The wine is elegant, pure, and dark with stoniness, firm texture, and a touch of sharpness that adds to nervosity. (89-92)

2013 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru – Les Vignesrondes

The vines here are 45-50 years old. The nose and mouth feature spicy mustard to go with dark fruit. There is the roundness of Nuits wines from the Côte de Vosne (the northern part of the Nuits appellation) in a medium-light body with excellent sensuality. (90-93)

2013 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru – Les Feusselottes

This wine is ethereal and floats above the tongue in the mouth with very pure red fruits, perfect harmony, and notable length. (91-95)

2013 Nuits-Saint-Georges vieilles vignes

I usually do not see this wine on my visits. In 2013, there are two barrels (600 bottles), and in 2012, there was but one. The vineyard is Bas de Combe, just down slope from Nuits-Boudots and just south of Vosne-Chaumes. Not surprisingly, given the location of the vineyard and the fact that this is a Vosne-based producer, the wine is Vosnish in style. It features spicy, reddish fruit and has a lovely, round texture. The wine is medium-weight but airy and has good acidity to give freshness. (90-93)

2013 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru – Les Chaignots

From the Côte de Vosne part of Nuits, this is one of my favorite Nuits vineyards, with excellent producers – in addition to Mugneret-Gibourg, they include Chevillon, Faiveley, Gouges, Michelot,  and Gérard Mugneret. This wine shows more weight and penetration as well as darker fruit than the vieilles vignes. There is nice structure here – good acidity, but still with finesse. (91-94)

2013 Echézeaux

This wine comes from two climates in Echézeaux – Quartiers de Nuits and Les Rouges du Bas. Because the latter suffered more from the bad flowering and from oïdium in 2013, the percentage from Quartiers de Nuits is higher than usual. Overall, this was about 60% of a normal harvest for Mugneret-Gibourg at Echézeaux. The wine is spicy and very fine with excellent concentration and good sensuality. (91-94)

2013 Ruchottes-Chambertin

Half the vineyard was replanted in 2000, and 2013 is the second vintage that includes the fruit from the replanted vines in the Ruchottes-Chambertin (as opposed to a separate wine labeled either Gevrey-Chambertin or Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru). The nose here is very stony. The mouth is nervy and penetrating with lightness and red fruits. The wine is a very good and very typical representation of Ruchottes-Chambertin. (92-96)

2013 Clos-Vougeot

Last of the 2013s, the Clos-Vougeot is round and sensual with less power than usual to its long black raspberry fruit and just a little hint of sappiness. (93-97)

2012 Bourgogne

From bottle, the Bourgogne shows good structure, as is typical of the vintage, and has attractive, deep oriental-spiced fruit, along with depth and breadth. This is a wine that shows well above its classification. 90/A

2012 Vosne-Romanée

This wine shows spiced aromas typical of Vosne. The mouth is light with good structure. Overall, it is a light, airy wine that is very pretty but will need some time to come around. I’d look to 2027-2042 for best drinking. 91/A

2012 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru – Les Chaignots

This wine is light and pure with violets and raspberries, and good penetration. It drinks beautifully now, but I’d expect it to close down at some point and look to 2027-2048+ for peak experience. 94/A

2012 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru – Les Feusselottes

This wine is more closed and more structured than the Chaignots, to my surprise. It features dark fruits and some tannins are evident. I’d look to 2027-2048 for peak drinking. 92(+)/A

2012 Echézeaux

This wine is firm, sensual, and medium-light with some wood to go with the red and dark fruit. But it is fairly closed for the moment. 93+/A-

2012 Clos-Vougeot

This wine is intense, deep, and weightless in the mouth with the violets and black raspberries typical of Clos-Vougeot.  In short, it is a great Clos-Vougeot with plenty of purity. For the moment, there is great pleasure in this wine, although like most 2012s, I expect it to shut down some time in the next year or two. But there is so much potential for those willing to hold it 15-20 years. 96/A

2012 Ruchottes-Chambertin

As indicated above, this is the first vintage to integrate the fruit from the vines planted in 2000. The wine shows minerality and greater density than the 2013. The fruit is red, and the wine is nervy, stony, and deep. This is simply a beautiful expression of Ruchottes-Chambertin. 95+/A