Thursday, December 31, 2015

Domaine Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier (Chambolle-Musigny) -- 2014s Tasted from Cask



Frédéric Mugnier said that his quantities in 2014 were greater than either 2013 or 2015, with both of the latter two being among the smallest harvests he’s had. Hail was not the problem, though, as his vines received very little hail. The grapes were healthy, so there was little sorting to do; rot (in July) and then acetic rot (later) were only traces and not really a problem.


Picking began on 15 September. Alcohols came in normal (mostly around 13º), and as a result, there was no need to chaptalize, other than a light bit for one or two cuvées. No whole clusters were used in 2014. Most malolactic fermentations were very quick, some even occurring before the wines were devatted into barrel. He used very little SO2.  The white will be bottled in January, the reds in May.

There is great regularity here and so it is not surprising that  this will be another vintage of fine wines from this outstanding estate. (Continue reading here.)