2016 Domaine
J-F Mugnier Musigny Vieilles Vignes

BY NEAL MARTIN |&nbsp;DECEMBER 04, 2023Frédéric
Mugnier caused a few ripples when, tired of witnessing his Grand Crus martyred
not long after bottling in restaurants around Beaune, he decided to withhold
his Musigny Vieilles Vignes until he deemed it had several years’ bottle age. I
wish more growers would follow his lead. The latest to be released is the 2016
Musigny Vieilles Vignes Grand Cru. I vividly recall tasting this with
Mugnier in the barrel cellar after the dramatic frost-afflicted season. To refresh
your minds, allow me to reproduce the relevant paragraph from that year’s
in-barrel report. Mugnier explained: “There were three barrels of young vines,
pruned as&nbsp;Cordon de Royat, which suffered limited damage from frost, and
three&nbsp;barrels of older vines, pruned as Guyot, that were very badly hit. The&nbsp;former,
regardless of the age of the vines, was tasting much denser and&nbsp;had a
greater length than the latter. The final blend of Musigny includes all three
barrels of the young vines&nbsp;plus one of the old ones, in order to bring a
touch of freshness. The two remaining barrels were blended with the
Chambolle&nbsp;Premier Cru&nbsp;Les Plantes and the few grapes from Combe
d’Orveau to form the&nbsp;Chambolle-Musigny Trente-Deux, so called after the
number of vintages that I have made.”<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1701453921758-musigny+2016+mugnier.jpg">I have
re-tasted the 2016 once in bottle, blind at the Burgfest tasting, where it
flirted with perfection. Nothing has changed since then. Mugnier poured the
wine in November 2023 after tasting his 2022s (bottles have not been labeled,
hence the photograph of the cork). The nose is stunning. There’s incredible
purity and intensity, fabulous delineation and a sense of exuberance as it
doles out red berry fruit, fresh black truffle shavings and sous-bois.
The palate is medium-bodied, with svelte tannins, poised and precise, gently
building toward a seamless finish. It represents a heavenly evocation of one of
the world's greatest vineyards. 99/Drink 2024-2060.© 2023, Vinous. No portion of this article may be copied, shared or re-distributed without prior consent from Vinous. Doing so is not only a violation of our copyright, but also threatens the survival of independent wine criticism.

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