2021 Vosne-Romanée La Colombière

Marie-Christine Mugneret guided me through their latest vintage at their winery in Vosne. “The 2022 was easier than 2023,” she explains. “It was a ‘quiet’ season. We had some rain during spring, just at the right moment. So, everything was good. Picking began on September 1, and the weather was fine during this period, though we were anxious about keeping the red fruit and the freshness. The alcohol levels are all around 13%. The wines are matured in barrels from four cooperages: Rousseau, François Frère, Cavin and Tremeaux, from just outside Beaune.” This is one of the most beloved Domaines in the Côte d’Or, partly because of the wines’ quality and partly because the Mugneret sisters, Marie-Christine and Marie-Andrée Nauleau-Mugneret, are two of the most convivial winemakers you can meet. They are refreshingly devoid of the airs and graces some of their fellow Vosne winemakers can exhibit. This was a strong set of 2022s crowned, not by the Ruchottes-Chambertin, but by their sensational Clos de Vougeot. I was also smitten by two of their cuvées from Nuits Saint-Georges: Les Chaignots and Les Vignes Rondes. Their wines are a masterclass in purity and refinement. Prices have edged upwards in recent vintages as demand outstrips supply but the wines remain better value than elsewhere.

Marie-Andrée Nauleau-Mugneret is on hand to guide me through the sublime 2021s from this cherished producer in Vosne-Romanée. “The problem was the winter frost from 6 April,” she explains. “We didn’t put any candles in the vines as we were not ready, and then when we heard the forecasted temperatures, it was like having one candle to warm a living room. We have previously used a wind turbine that can work at -1° Celsius, but it was pointless in 2021. Afterward, we had some rain and lower temperatures in spring and summer, then the harvest was later than usual, starting on 24 September, and we picked over the following six days. We quickly understood it would be a normal colour [paler] of Pinot Noir and with normal degrees of alcohol between 12.0% and 12.56%. That is comparable with the 1980s and 1990s. The vinification had no setbacks. Everything is de-stemmed except the Les Chaignots, as it was difficult to estimate the volume of the grapes. When we filled the vat, we didn’t have enough volume, so we added stems, just as we did for the Echézeaux in 2016. At the end, that cuvée is 15% whole clusters. The Echézeaux was de-stemmed as the ripeness of the stems was not so good.” The 2021s are utterly refined and pure, quintessential Pinot Noirs that will give much joy to those fortunate few who receive allocations, which will be whittled down. The gem here is a spine-tingling Clos de Vougeot that pips the Ruchottes-Chambertin this year, while the Chambolle Fuesselottes is about as good as it comes.