2013 Domaine J-F
Mugnier&nbsp;Musigny Vieilles
Vignes Grand Cru

BY NEAL MARTIN | DECEMBER 02, 2019I witnessed it while eating alone at a restaurant in Beaune. A group of&nbsp;diners whose affluence was matched by their inebriation pillaged
the list of its remaining Rousseau Chambertin and Mugnier&nbsp;Musigny Vieilles Vignes. What I found annoying was not their rowdiness, but their
clear lack of appreciation for these bottles: martyrs chosen because they were
the most expensive. They were intent on ordering much more than they could
possibly imbibe, until none was left. They paid their astronomical bill before
staggering outside. A week later I retold this
sorry tale to Frédéric Mugnier, who sighed deeply and revealed that henceforth
he would be withholding the release of his Musigny Vieilles Vignes for five or
six years. He was fed up with seeing his Musigny barely out of diapers being
listed and consumed at local restaurants. Of course, it is the restaurateur's decision
whether to ration how many blue-chip labels each customer may order, and to choose
between maintaining an attractive and well-priced wine list and taking easy
money from big-spending punters, but at least Mugnier can control what vintages
are listed. When I visited the&nbsp;domaine
in Chambolle-Musigny in November 2019, Mugnier poured me his latest vintage to see
the light of day. (The bottle was without label, hence the image of the branded
cork.)<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1575298588909-musigny_mugnier_2013_cork.jpg"> 

The 2013 Musigny Vieilles Vignes Grand Cru
will be released with Mugnier’s forthcoming 2018s. “Twenty or thirty years ago,
the 2013 would have been a total catastrophe,” he told me in his barrel cellar.
“I am surprised by the presence and substance of the wine, which has high
acidity yet is quite restrained. I think the five years of aging have softened
the edges.” The 2013 has an attractive and very tertiary-inspired bouquet that
evokes images of strolling through a woodland in autumn, red berry fruit tinged
with decayed brown leaves, damp soil and morels, and also touches of bay leaf
and jasmine tea. The palate is medium-bodied with a slightly rustic bent for a
Musigny, though as Mugnier mentioned, it is underpinned by an almost racy sense
of acidity that might be off-putting to those who prefer a denser, fruitier
style. The fruit is a little darker than suggested by the nose, presenting a soupçon of meat juices and plenty of
undergrowth notes on the finish. This is not a Musigny with the utmost finesse
and grace, yet it brims with character. While it does possess the substance to
age in bottle, the 2013 supports Mugnier’s policy of allowing this particular cru to mature for five or six years
before release. That said, I would afford it another five or six years’
maturation. 94/Drink 2020-2045.

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