2018 Nuits Saint-Georges Clos de la Marechale 1er Cru

True criticism must never be a personal attack upon an individual. That shows a lack of class. Winemaking is a poker game against Mother Nature. You don’t always win. It’s a game in which hindsight is a precious thing. I have been a fan of Frédéric Mugnier’s wines since I first visited over 20 years ago. But in 2023, the wines fell below the high bar he set. On a day when I was able to taste multiple Bonnes-Mares or Musigny, the shortcomings could not be ignored. Mugnier, without question the most candid of any Burgundy winemaker, understood that 2023 is not a vintage in which the wind blew in his direction. Even last year, I remember him lamenting the season that had passed.

“It was terrible,” Mugnier says, never one to mince his words. His sigh is beyond compare. “Though I’m rarely happy with the harvest or the quality of the grapes. Twenty-three should have been very similar to 2022, and up to mid-July, it was. Then we had rain at regular intervals – not a deluge, but it was almost every week. The berries became unexpectedly swollen and if I’d known, I would have done a green harvest. That might have diminished the yield but not necessarily improved quality since the berries would have been even bigger. So, the yield is more than I would have liked. The larger berries had thin skins so this risked acid rot. A small amount is sufficient to create vinegary aromas. This made me anxious. We started picking on September 7 in Bonnes-Mares and stopped and started picking due to rain and varying degrees of maturity. We finished on September 22 with the Musigny. We did a lot of sorting during the picking and at reception. Everything is destemmed.”

Because of Mugnier’s deserved standing, I can understand that this might rankle with some Burgundy lovers, but I have never pulled punches and don’t intend to begin now. The wines in 2023 just miss the depth and concentration that you expect from propitious climats such as Les Amoureuses or Les Fuées. They are sleight, a little enfeebled by the rains, so there is a distinct lack of grip on the finishes. To experience Mugnier in full flight, seek out his 2022 Les Amoureuses, which is just beautiful, or the 2017 Musigny that will be put onto the market this year as he now releases it much later. The remainder of barrel maturation might add some weight to his nascent 2023s, but overall, this is just one of those vintages that got away from one of Burgundy’s best winemakers. You can’t win ‘em all.

True criticism must never be a personal attack upon an individual. That shows a lack of class. Winemaking is a poker game against Mother Nature. You don’t always win. It’s a game in which hindsight is a precious thing. I have been a fan of Frédéric Mugnier’s wines since I first visited over 20 years ago. But in 2023, the wines fell below the high bar he set. On a day when I was able to taste multiple Bonnes-Mares or Musigny, the shortcomings could not be ignored. Mugnier, without question the most candid of any Burgundy winemaker, understood that 2023 is not a vintage in which the wind blew in his direction. Even last year, I remember him lamenting the season that had passed.

“It was terrible,” Mugnier says, never one to mince his words. His sigh is beyond compare. “Though I’m rarely happy with the harvest or the quality of the grapes. Twenty-three should have been very similar to 2022, and up to mid-July, it was. Then we had rain at regular intervals – not a deluge, but it was almost every week. The berries became unexpectedly swollen and if I’d known, I would have done a green harvest. That might have diminished the yield but not necessarily improved quality since the berries would have been even bigger. So, the yield is more than I would have liked. The larger berries had thin skins so this risked acid rot. A small amount is sufficient to create vinegary aromas. This made me anxious. We started picking on September 7 in Bonnes-Mares and stopped and started picking due to rain and varying degrees of maturity. We finished on September 22 with the Musigny. We did a lot of sorting during the picking and at reception. Everything is destemmed.”

Because of Mugnier’s deserved standing, I can understand that this might rankle with some Burgundy lovers, but I have never pulled punches and don’t intend to begin now. The wines in 2023 just miss the depth and concentration that you expect from propitious climats such as Les Amoureuses or Les Fuées. They are sleight, a little enfeebled by the rains, so there is a distinct lack of grip on the finishes. To experience Mugnier in full flight, seek out his 2022 Les Amoureuses, which is just beautiful, or the 2017 Musigny that will be put onto the market this year as he now releases it much later. The remainder of barrel maturation might add some weight to his nascent 2023s, but overall, this is just one of those vintages that got away from one of Burgundy’s best winemakers. You can’t win ‘em all.

You gotta love Frédéric Mugnier. As I have written before, what comes across as an almost ambivalent attitude to his métier, as if to say, ‘Did I give up a career in engineering to make Musigny?’ inevitably turns into a discussion about winemaking and the comings and goings of Burgundy. Mugnier is never shy of airing his opinion (either face-to-face or in print). To quote another winemaker from earlier that day, Mugnier is forever the contrarian. I think he wouldn’t want it any other way.

“It was an especially challenging growing season,” he tells me. “In early August, I was anxious as it was too hot, and the vines were not looking good, some berries already shriveling. Some already tasted a bit oxidized. But I like to be pessimistic. Fortunately, there was enough rain just before the harvest to revive the grapes. The harvest began September 1 and took place over seven days. There was not much triage, and the vinification was normal. The wines were raised in around 15% new oak for all the cuvées and no stems.”

The wines are a mixed bag. I felt that in juxtaposition with Mugnier’s other cuvées, the Chambolle Les Fuées exhibited a little sur-maturité. It’s normally a wine I like, more so than even his Bonnes-Mares, so I’ll revisit it once in bottle. The highlights predictably include the Les Amoureuses and Musigny Vieilles Vignes, the latter more taciturn aromatically but convincing in the mouth. Readers should note that Mugnier continues his policy of not releasing this wine until it has some bottle maturity. I tasted the current release, the 2016, which I published as a Cellar Favorite.

You gotta love Frédéric Mugnier. As I have written before, what comes across as an almost ambivalent attitude to his métier, as if to say, ‘Did I give up a career in engineering to make Musigny?’ inevitably turns into a discussion about winemaking and the comings and goings of Burgundy. Mugnier is never shy of airing his opinion (either face-to-face or in print). To quote another winemaker from earlier that day, Mugnier is forever the contrarian. I think he wouldn’t want it any other way.

“It was an especially challenging growing season,” he tells me. “In early August, I was anxious as it was too hot, and the vines were not looking good, some berries already shriveling. Some already tasted a bit oxidized. But I like to be pessimistic. Fortunately, there was enough rain just before the harvest to revive the grapes. The harvest began September 1 and took place over seven days. There was not much triage, and the vinification was normal. The wines were raised in around 15% new oak for all the cuvées and no stems.”

The wines are a mixed bag. I felt that in juxtaposition with Mugnier’s other cuvées, the Chambolle Les Fuées exhibited a little sur-maturité. It’s normally a wine I like, more so than even his Bonnes-Mares, so I’ll revisit it once in bottle. The highlights predictably include the Les Amoureuses and Musigny Vieilles Vignes, the latter more taciturn aromatically but convincing in the mouth. Readers should note that Mugnier continues his policy of not releasing this wine until it has some bottle maturity. I tasted the current release, the 2016, which I published as a Cellar Favorite.

“I like it when it’s difficult. It’s like the good old days,” quips Frédéric Mugnier, and to be honest, if those words had been uttered from anyone else’s mouths, then I would have laughed…but he means it. My visits to Mugnier are one of my most cherished, not only because of the wines but because our conversation habitually meanders into related topics upon which he does not pull his punches. Today, we speak about the current frenzied demand for Burgundy and how it has changed the region’s spirit, the spectre of global warming that clearly plays on his mind and the essence of what a Burgundy wine ought to be.

“The year was relatively cold and rainy, which made the work in the vineyard more difficult,” he continues. “We had to make sure we sprayed at the right time against mildew, which was not easy. We only sprayed copper and sulphur, though I’m not organic, and that included weekends. It’s good to have a tractor that is not too heavy but remains light enough with good spraying capability. For that, you need a turbine, and turbines are heavy. We didn’t have too much damage from mildew. It was not easy to reach full maturity, and in the end, it became a competition between ripeness and rot. There are many vintages like that, and the wines turn out to be delicious, delicate and seductive. I think 2021 is that kind of vintage. They say: vines must suffer to make great wine. But I think it’s the winemaker that must suffer. People evaluate wines after a year. Look at all the restaurants in Beaune with 2020 Grand Crus and all their lists [Mugnier rolls his eyes and sighs]. I judge my wines on how they taste after ten years.”

“We started the picking on 16 September, and the sanitary conditions for the bunches were fine. My crop is comparable in volume to recent vintages. We cropped at 25hl/ha, whereas average is 35hl/ha, and alcohol levels reached around 12.5%, just the Chambolle Village was chaptalized a little. Early samples that we take for analysis are often lower [in potential alcohol], but the final degree is often one degree higher than expected, so I end up wondering why I chaptalized in the first place.”

In many ways, 2021 is the kind of growing season that might throw obstacles in the way of Mugnier, but the style sutures neatly with his style of wine. Standouts include a spellbinding Les Amoureuses and, predictably, the Musigny Vieilles Vignes, both shade the Bonnes-Mares that I find relatively skinny and missing a bit of meat on its bones; nothing unexpected given the growing season, plus the fact that this has rarely been Mugnier’s strongest card to play.

“I like it when it’s difficult. It’s like the good old days,” quips Frédéric Mugnier, and to be honest, if those words had been uttered from anyone else’s mouths, then I would have laughed…but he means it. My visits to Mugnier are one of my most cherished, not only because of the wines but because our conversation habitually meanders into related topics upon which he does not pull his punches. Today, we speak about the current frenzied demand for Burgundy and how it has changed the region’s spirit, the spectre of global warming that clearly plays on his mind and the essence of what a Burgundy wine ought to be.

“The year was relatively cold and rainy, which made the work in the vineyard more difficult,” he continues. “We had to make sure we sprayed at the right time against mildew, which was not easy. We only sprayed copper and sulphur, though I’m not organic, and that included weekends. It’s good to have a tractor that is not too heavy but remains light enough with good spraying capability. For that, you need a turbine, and turbines are heavy. We didn’t have too much damage from mildew. It was not easy to reach full maturity, and in the end, it became a competition between ripeness and rot. There are many vintages like that, and the wines turn out to be delicious, delicate and seductive. I think 2021 is that kind of vintage. They say: vines must suffer to make great wine. But I think it’s the winemaker that must suffer. People evaluate wines after a year. Look at all the restaurants in Beaune with 2020 Grand Crus and all their lists [Mugnier rolls his eyes and sighs]. I judge my wines on how they taste after ten years.”

“We started the picking on 16 September, and the sanitary conditions for the bunches were fine. My crop is comparable in volume to recent vintages. We cropped at 25hl/ha, whereas average is 35hl/ha, and alcohol levels reached around 12.5%, just the Chambolle Village was chaptalized a little. Early samples that we take for analysis are often lower [in potential alcohol], but the final degree is often one degree higher than expected, so I end up wondering why I chaptalized in the first place.”

In many ways, 2021 is the kind of growing season that might throw obstacles in the way of Mugnier, but the style sutures neatly with his style of wine. Standouts include a spellbinding Les Amoureuses and, predictably, the Musigny Vieilles Vignes, both shade the Bonnes-Mares that I find relatively skinny and missing a bit of meat on its bones; nothing unexpected given the growing season, plus the fact that this has rarely been Mugnier’s strongest card to play.

My last visit in March was coincidentally the first that I had visited back in July 2021 to taste the 2020s. It was too early to publish my notes, which is why none appeared in my original report; then my appointment had to be postponed twice due to my returning to England early and then Omicron in January. Finally, I rang Mugnier’s doorbell in late March to retaste the wines. Frédéric Mugnier was in typically sanguine form, bemoaning the prospect of yet another frost-affected weekend, ruing how many seasons have been struck by frost in the last decade compared to the two before. “I picked from 26 to 31 August,” he mentioned. “I think it is a vintage that must be kept in bottle, and it may disappoint those who drink it young.” The two standouts were a quite sensational Musigny Vieilles Vignes that could well challenge Christophe Roumier’s, regal and majestic from start to finish. Whilst the Amoureuses was a little closed, perhaps due to the inclement weather, a thunderclap above our heads as we tasted it, I thought Mugnier Les Fuées was singing, blessed with a captivating oyster-shell tinged nose.

"After the 2003 vintage I said that I would never pick in August," winemaker Frédéric Mugnier tells me with a smirk on his face, recalling the year harvesters began on 1 September. "Well, I guess I have changed that view!" My conversation with Mugnier is consistently one of the most enlightening and candid during my visits and his comments symbolize the seachange of opinion towards the growing season and the timing of the harvest with global warming now accepted as a real phenomenon. "The vines suffered from drought because there was no rain from July. I picked Bonnes Mares on 28 August. There were three parts of the harvest. The Bonnes-Mares was followed by the other wines in Chambolle-Musigny from 1 to 3 September and then I waited until the 8 September to pick the Clos de Maréchale that had been hit by hail twice in July. Two hailstorms affected our vineyard in Nuits-Saint-Georges and both were very static and didn’t move much. The hail stones were small but they fell for around 30 minutes." Mugnier pointed out that his vines now seem to be achieving higher acidity levels since the 2015 vintage. "The vines have adapted since that vintage," he opined. "They now achieve lower pH levels naturally." As is customary I tasted through the 2018s from barrel and 2017s in bottle, plus the 2013 Musigny Vieilles Vignes, due for release, sectioned off for a Cellar Favorite." Contrary to status, as usual I prefer his Les Amoureuses to the Bonnes-Mares, understand why he serves the Grand Cru first (though a recent bottle of 2010 Bonnes-Mares proved how it can produce a great wine in a benevolent growing season.) The crown jewel, his Musigny Vieilles Vignes, was completely entrancing although like previous vintages, Mugnier will not release it until he feels it is ready.

"After the 2003 vintage I said that I would never pick in August," winemaker Frédéric Mugnier tells me with a smirk on his face, recalling the year harvesters began on 1 September. "Well, I guess I have changed that view!" My conversation with Mugnier is consistently one of the most enlightening and candid during my visits and his comments symbolize the seachange of opinion towards the growing season and the timing of the harvest with global warming now accepted as a real phenomenon. "The vines suffered from drought because there was no rain from July. I picked Bonnes Mares on 28 August. There were three parts of the harvest. The Bonnes-Mares was followed by the other wines in Chambolle-Musigny from 1 to 3 September and then I waited until the 8 September to pick the Clos de Maréchale that had been hit by hail twice in July. Two hailstorms affected our vineyard in Nuits-Saint-Georges and both were very static and didn’t move much. The hail stones were small but they fell for around 30 minutes." Mugnier pointed out that his vines now seem to be achieving higher acidity levels since the 2015 vintage. "The vines have adapted since that vintage," he opined. "They now achieve lower pH levels naturally." As is customary I tasted through the 2018s from barrel and 2017s in bottle, plus the 2013 Musigny Vieilles Vignes, due for release, sectioned off for a Cellar Favorite." Contrary to status, as usual I prefer his Les Amoureuses to the Bonnes-Mares, understand why he serves the Grand Cru first (though a recent bottle of 2010 Bonnes-Mares proved how it can produce a great wine in a benevolent growing season.) The crown jewel, his Musigny Vieilles Vignes, was completely entrancing although like previous vintages, Mugnier will not release it until he feels it is ready.

Frédéric Mugnier was seated in his office when I arrived at his ivy-clad mansion turned autumnal yellow and red. His desk was flanked by a top-end hi-fi system, Mugnier being both an audiophile and a classical music fan. I recall one visit being preceded by a conversation concerning the quality of speaker leads, his engineering background coming to the fore. Alas, there was no time to slap on some Bach; there were 2017s to taste down in his cellar.

“Spring was dry, which was good,” Mugnier told me in an indifferent tone at odds with his passion as a winemaker. “It was nice to work out in the vineyard, and the dry conditions prevented disease. Summer was balanced: sunny enough and not excessively hot, so the vines did not suffer. There was no hail, and so on. The grapes were just perfect-looking. Even the size of the clusters was just right. Everything was looking nice. We started the picking on September 5 and finished around September 12. I chaptalised by 0.14° alcohol, which is almost nothing, so that final alcohol levels are between 12.5° and 13.2°”

Mugnier’s wines are always understated from barrel. If at one end you might cite de Vogüé as barrel samples that know how to “put out” during élevage, Mugnier’s are bashful and discreet, demanding coaxing from the glass. This year I must admit that I was seeking more from his Chambolle-Musigny Village and Les Fuées, both of which were missing the density and grip of the previous vintages. And as usual, I feel his Bonnes-Mares is satisfactory rather than exceptional, simply because it is not the best-sited parcel. Yet the Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses is as good as you will find in 2017, and the Musigny Vieilles Vignes delivers everything you expect. Perhaps the real gem is Mugnier’s monopole of Nuits Saint-Georges Clos de la Maréchale, one of the finest that I have tasted from barrel and potentially a great value once released.

Frédéric Mugnier made just 6 barrels of Chambolle-Musigny villages in 2016, vs. a normal 25, and his overall production was down by about 50%. He noted that most of his estate vines that are less than 30 years of age are pruned via cordon en royat while his older vines use the guyot system. “And there was a big difference between them in terms of frost damage,” he explained. “The guyot vines lost up to 90% of their production while it was more like 50% to 60% for the royat. The cordon en royat shoots are supposed to grow later, which would have help to limit frost damage to the young buds, but that didn’t happen in 2016.”

So what was the explanation for the royat vines being better able to withstand the frigid conditions on the morning of April 27, I asked. Mugnier speculated that the ¬thick arm in the royat vines retained and radiated enough heat to delay the moment when the critical temperature was reached in the young green shoots. “The difference must be minute but there is nothing between frozen and not frozen, and the smallest difference can change the outcome.” He added that he also noticed that even on the guyot vines, the shoots that were growing within three or four inches of the stakes that hold the wires usually did not freeze. Such was the tiny margin between life and death, and the impossibility of generalizing about frost damage in 2016.

Mugnier started harvesting on September 26, and in retrospect believes that he should have begun a few days earlier, as the wines are higher in alcohol than he expected—all of them between 13% and 14% without chaptalization! In my tastings, they struck me as rather 2015-like in their sometimes chocolatey ripeness. In fact, Mugnier described his’ 16s as “more opulent, round and sweet” than his ‘15s, which he finds more structured and more tannic. “If you want a wine to drink early, choose a 2016,” he said. Still, the pHs of the ‘16s are around 3.5, which Mugnier described as “surprisingly low considering that we had the highest sugar levels ever. The combination of lower-than-average pH and very high alcohol is an interesting one, and I can’t explain it.” Mugnier destems all of his fruit but avoids crushing the grapes, "so that the juice is released very slowly." He gets a slower fermentation (the wines spend almost three weeks in tank) and does not do any further maceration once the fermentation has finished.

Frédéric Mugnier made just 6 barrels of Chambolle-Musigny villages in 2016, vs. a normal 25, and his overall production was down by about 50%. He noted that most of his estate vines that are less than 30 years of age are pruned via cordon en royat while his older vines use the guyot system. “And there was a big difference between them in terms of frost damage,” he explained. “The guyot vines lost up to 90% of their production while it was more like 50% to 60% for the royat. The cordon en royat shoots are supposed to grow later, which would have help to limit frost damage to the young buds, but that didn’t happen in 2016.”

So what was the explanation for the royat vines being better able to withstand the frigid conditions on the morning of April 27, I asked. Mugnier speculated that the ¬thick arm in the royat vines retained and radiated enough heat to delay the moment when the critical temperature was reached in the young green shoots. “The difference must be minute but there is nothing between frozen and not frozen, and the smallest difference can change the outcome.” He added that he also noticed that even on the guyot vines, the shoots that were growing within three or four inches of the stakes that hold the wires usually did not freeze. Such was the tiny margin between life and death, and the impossibility of generalizing about frost damage in 2016.

Mugnier started harvesting on September 26, and in retrospect believes that he should have begun a few days earlier, as the wines are higher in alcohol than he expected—all of them between 13% and 14% without chaptalization! In my tastings, they struck me as rather 2015-like in their sometimes chocolatey ripeness. In fact, Mugnier described his’ 16s as “more opulent, round and sweet” than his ‘15s, which he finds more structured and more tannic. “If you want a wine to drink early, choose a 2016,” he said. Still, the pHs of the ‘16s are around 3.5, which Mugnier described as “surprisingly low considering that we had the highest sugar levels ever. The combination of lower-than-average pH and very high alcohol is an interesting one, and I can’t explain it.” Mugnier destems all of his fruit but avoids crushing the grapes, "so that the juice is released very slowly." He gets a slower fermentation (the wines spend almost three weeks in tank) and does not do any further maceration once the fermentation has finished.

"I try to pick when the grapes taste good," said Frédéric Mugnier in November. "The most important thing is the quality and taste of the tannins. Sugar and acidity can be adjusted, but you can't make good wines with underripe skins." As 2015 brought the lowest levels of malic acidity in Mugnier's experience (he started picking Pinot Noir on September 8 and, with potential alcohols around 13%, did not chaptalize), the effects of the malolactic fermentations "were almost invisible."

Mugnier completely destemmed his fruit, as usual, and carried out the same vinification as he does every year. "I don't adapt my winemaking to the specific vintage," he said. "In a warm, dry vintage with a lot of phenolic material, is it necessary to extract more," he explained. "And in colder years with lower levels of phenolics, should I really extract when the quality of the grapes is not as good?" He went on: "I'm certainly not a mystic but I think that grapes have a certain natural harmony. And if you try to change the inherent character of a vintage, you're more likely to lose it than to improve it."

Mugnier emphasized that he doesn't have--or want--a sorting table, for two reasons. "First, it's not very effective; sorting must be done in the vineyard. You can eliminate green clusters or leaves but anything rotten must be eliminated by the pickers or the bad berries will have contaminated the juice by the time the fruit reaches the winery. And also, I don't want a sorting table because I don't want to recreate a factory with an assembly line."

On the likely aging curve of the 2015s, Mugnier said, "I imagine that the 2015s could shut down in bottle, because it's possible that they have some tannins that could dominate. The spring of 205 was very dry and the wines suffered somewhat from drought. This may have left a trace of bitterness in the tannins. And I think the 2015s will benefit a lot from long aging."

While Frédéric Mugnier never claimed that the 2014s had powerful structures, he noted that the wines gained in intensity during their last months of élevage. He eventually bottled them in June of 2016. “Today they’re delicious and attractive—better than I expected,” he told me in November. These wines may well give great pleasure early if they don't shut down in bottle, but their minerality should keep them young for a long time. Mugnier’s top ‘14s offer stunning definition and it’s hard to believe that they won’t reward at least 10 to 15 years of cellaring.

While Frédéric Mugnier never claimed that the 2014s had powerful structures, he noted that the wines gained in intensity during their last months of élevage He eventually bottled them in June of 2016 “Today they’re delicious and attractive—better than I expected,” he told me in November These wines may well give great pleasure early if they don't shut down in bottle, but their minerality should keep them young for a long time Mugnier’s top ‘14s offer stunning definition and it’s hard to believe that they won’t reward at least 10 to 15 years of cellaring

While some producers plan to bottle their 2014s a bit earlier than usual, Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier believes that they will need a longer time in barrel to stabilize. Still, he added, the wines have fairly light structures and are not too tannic, and they are fruity and attractive. Very wet weather in July triggered unusually early botrytis, said Mugnier, and pourriture acide was visible in the vines from the middle of August. But it was still easy to eliminate in the vineyards by the pickers, he added. In the end, Mugnier made a normal crop of "up to 35 hectoliters per hectare." He used less SO2 than usual in the fermenter but more later on. All of the 2014s were racked about two weeks prior to my November visit.

As you might expect, after he discussed the potential problems of the vintage, Mugnier showed me a very pure and gripping set of 2014s.

Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier told me that 2013 is "more vegetal than 2010, despite the negative connotation of 'vegetal'; but many people would probably say 'mineral' instead." Mugnier's 2013s offer a rare combination of concentrated, creamy fruit; relatively low pHs; and the spine for long aging.

Frédéric Mugnier's 2013s are absolutely brilliant. The 2013s were racked in September, which is on the later side of things. In the past I have made the mistake of visiting Mugnier too early, just after the wines have been racked, and found wines in barrel that were at times awkward. This year, I visited the domaine towards the end of my trip, once the wines had been racked for about two months, and that made a huge difference. The 2013s are vivid, precise and crystalline; in other words they capture the purest essence of this cool, late harvest year marked by an exceptionally long growing season. Mugnier brought in his 2013s starting on October 5, just as disease pressure was beginning to mount, during what turned out to be a very compact harvest. The 2013s were vinified with fully destemmed fruit, while the percentage of new oak is quite low, both pretty typical of how the wines are made here these days.

Frédéric Mugnier's 2013s are absolutely brilliant. The 2013s were racked in September, which is on the later side of things. In the past I have made the mistake of visiting Mugnier too early, just after the wines have been racked, and found wines in barrel that were at times awkward. This year, I visited the domaine towards the end of my trip, once the wines had been racked for about two months, and that made a huge difference. The 2013s are vivid, precise and crystalline; in other words they capture the purest essence of this cool, late harvest year marked by an exceptionally long growing season. Mugnier brought in his 2013s starting on October 5, just as disease pressure was beginning to mount, during what turned out to be a very compact harvest. The 2013s were vinified with fully destemmed fruit, while the percentage of new oak is quite low, both pretty typical of how the wines are made here these days.

The picking window in Chambolle-Musigny was very narrow in 2013, said Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier, who started harvesting his large Clos de la Maréchale holding on October 5, then shifted to his fruit in Chambolle-Musigny on the 7th and 8th because he saw "threads of rot." Mugnier has never had a sorting table but instead relies on his pickers to do this work in the vineyards. He noted that the hang time on the vines was important in 2013: "Phenolic ripeness is not a matter of sun and heat but duration. The surprise for me is the silkiness and depth of the 2013s." Mugnier did the same winemaking as usual, which means a "long and soft fermentation." He told me he was not tempted to experiment with vendange entier because he wasn't sure about the ripeness of the skins and feared the effects of botrytis. Mugnier pointed out that pHs in 2013 were lower than average at around 3.5, and yields were 20% lower than in 2012, except for the Clos de la Maréchale, which was affected by hail in the earlier vintage. "The low yield was the key to quality in 2013," he said, adding that the 2012s should probably be drunk before the 2013s, as they are "easy, round and attractive" while the '13s have "a sharper edge."

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Frédéric Mugnier is among the last growers to rack, which means tasting the wines from barrel can be tricky. Not surprisingly, the 2012s are even more impressive from bottle than they were from barrel. Mugnier's yields were about 14 hectoliters per hectare as opposed to the typical 32-35. The vintage was tough for everyone, but Mugnier also endured a severe July hailstorm in Clos de la Maréchale.

"Drink 2012 before 2013 because the wines are easy, round and attractive," advises Frédéric Mugnier, adding that 2013 has "a sharper edge." In fact, Mugnier currently ranks 2012 below both 2013 and 2011, even if he believes that the vintage will please everyone. "It's a year of pure pleasure without being superficial. But does it have a hidden dimension?"

When I asked Frederic Mugnier when would be the best time to consume the 2012s, he answered,"They will be easy to drink over the next 50 years."The wines, he noted, are high in acidity and alcohol, and they have more fruit than they're showing today."They're more powerful than the 2010s," he added.Among the challenges during the growing season were a good bit of sunburn, especially in Chambolle, and an early July hailstorm that reduced the crop drastically in Mugnier's large Clos de la Marechale holding.At harvest time, Mugnier first destemmed his fruit, then put it on a vibrating sorting table to eliminate the dried berries. (A Becky Wasserman Selection; importers include Martin-Scott Wines, Ltd, www.martinscottwines.com; Cordon Selections, www.cordonselections.com; Wines Unlimited, www.winesunlimited.com)

Frédéric Mugnier's yields were about 14 hectoliters per hectare as opposed to the typical 32-35. The vintage was tough for everyone, but Mugnier also endured a severe July hailstorm in Clos de la Marechale. Malos took place between April and July 2013, however, none of the wines had been racked at the time of my visit in November 2013, which is unusual. I will not be surprised to see some or all of these wines show considerably better after bottling, which is scheduled for April-May, with the exception of the Clos de la Marechale Blanc, which will be bottled in January 2014.

Frédéric Mugnier's 2011s have turned out beautifully. Mugnier is among the growers who draws parallels with 2007, but is quick to add that the 2011s have higher acidities and more overall stuffing. In my view, the 2011s here are truly striking for their beauty and total sense of transparency.

Frederic Mugnier began harvesting on September 2, with potential alcohols of 12% and up.He lightly chaptalized half of his wines.Mugnier admitted that he would have waited a few more days to harvest in 2011 if not for spreading rot, adding that his team eliminated the affected grapes in the vineyards during the harvest.Mugnier describes 2011 as "a supple, round vintage, not hugely structured."A couple of his wines were more reduced than usual at this stage, as they were racked early and could now use a bit of aeration.The 2010s here, by the way, are stunning.Mugnier believes that this vintage represents Burgundy at its best:"What Burgundy can offer that can't be found anywhere else."

Leave it to Frédéric Mugnier to take a contrarian view of the 2010 vintage. Mugnier is quite clear in espousing his opinion that not only is 2009 a better vintage than 2010, but that the 2009s will be longer-lived as well. His advice to me was to drink the 2010s now and cellar the 2009s. Mugnier's highly personal take is also reflected in the unconventional order in which these wines were tasted. I have to say, it was quite eye-opening to taste the wines in a different sequence than is the norm, as it keeps the palate and intellect sharp. The harvest started on September 22. As has been the case for a while, the focus is on doing as little as possible to the wines once they are in cellar, which among other things means that new oak is now practically non-existent here. Readers who want to learn more might want to take a look at my interview with Frédéric Mugnier posted on our website.

"I'm the one who doesn't complain when the weather is cool during the harvest," said Jacques-Frederic Mugnier, who generally outperforms in tricky growing seasons. "I love the style of 2010," he went on, adding that the wines combine the best traits of warm and cold vintages. "The acidity in 2010 is wrapped in ripe tannins, so we get only the nice side of the acidity: freshness and precision of fruit and long finishes. The fruit is similar to that of 2008 but there's more middle-palate flesh in the 2010s. It's rare to have silky texture combined with the energy and acidity of 2010." Mugnier noted that his 2008s have not closed down, and he believes there's even less chance that the 2010s will go through an extended sullen stage. The wonderfully perfumed 2010s finished their malos last April and May and had been racked about three weeks prior to my visit.

This wine was tasted over dinner at Bistro de l’Hôtel, Beaune (France).

Frederic Mugnier insists that his 2009s will outlive his 2010s. Tasting these 2009s from bottle, it hard to argue with that view.

With each passing year Frederic Mugnier has let up on the reigns of winemaking and allowed the vintage to take center stage. His wines now reflect the unique qualities of each harvest to an exacting degree. Mugnier describes The 2009s as rich, powerful and exceptionally dense wines that will be at their most exciting in several decades' time, or – as Mugnier says with his typically dry sense of humor – when he's no longer around. The vintage was marked by one week of very hot weather towards the end of the growing season, although on average 2009 was not a hot year. The harvest began on September 10. For The 2009s Mugnier destemmed 100% of the fruit as he didn't feel he had the phenolic ripeness in the stems to use whole clusters. Fermentations lasted about three weeks, an approach which is now pretty much consistent from year to year. ‘Long, slow and gentle,' Mugnier says. The wines were racked once and were scheduled to be bottled between April and May 2011. The percentage of new oak barrels continues to drop and is now between 15-20% across the entire range. I also tasted all of The 2008s, a vintage in which Mugnier's wines are stratospheric for their sheer beauty, elegance and pedigree. In 2008 the harvest began on September 26, two full weeks after 2009, which is pretty consistent across domaines in these two years. Today The 2008s appear to have more finesse and silkiness. This will be a fascinating vintage to follow here.

For many years, Freddy Mugnier would adapt his vinification and elevage to the style of each new vintage; in fact, it might be accurate to say that he often vinified against the style of the year). But this veteran winemaker has clearly had a change of heart. "Now I use the same vinification every year because I want to allow the character of each vintage to come through," he told me. For Mugnier the character of 2009 was largely determined by a very hot week in the second half of August, even though the summer as a whole was temperate. "This period of heat burned off a lot of the malic acidity and was responsible for quick ripening of the grape sugars," he told me; ultimately, alcohol levels in the 2009s are a full degree higher than usual. "The vintage lacks real tension; it's very much a modern style," he said, adding that if he could have changed something in 2009, he would have done less green harvesting. "Slightly heavier crop loads would have slowed down the ripening," he explained. "That would have been a good thing because the wines are a bit heavy." Mugnier destemmed all of his fruit in 2009, as he has done since 1992. He told me he wasn't tempted to experiment with stems in 2009 because there wasn't enough phenolic ripeness.

With each passing year Frederic Mugnier has let up on the reigns of winemaking and allowed the vintage to take center stage. His wines now reflect the unique qualities of each harvest to an exacting degree. Mugnier describes The 2009s as rich, powerful and exceptionally dense wines that will be at their most exciting in several decades' time, or – as Mugnier says with his typically dry sense of humor – when he's no longer around. The vintage was marked by one week of very hot weather towards the end of the growing season, although on average 2009 was not a hot year. The harvest began on September 10. For The 2009s Mugnier destemmed 100% of the fruit as he didn't feel he had the phenolic ripeness in the stems to use whole clusters. Fermentations lasted about three weeks, an approach which is now pretty much consistent from year to year. ‘Long, slow and gentle,' Mugnier says. The wines were racked once and were scheduled to be bottled between April and May 2011. The percentage of new oak barrels continues to drop and is now between 15-20% across the entire range. I also tasted all of The 2008s, a vintage in which Mugnier's wines are stratospheric for their sheer beauty, elegance and pedigree. In 2008 the harvest began on September 26, two full weeks after 2009, which is pretty consistent across domaines in these two years. Today The 2008s appear to have more finesse and silkiness. This will be a fascinating vintage to follow here.

Also recommended: 2008 Nuits-Saint-Georges Clos des Fourches.

Freddy Mugnier started picking on September 22 in 2008, with what he described as good sugar levels in the 12% to 12.5% range. He eliminated more rotten than green grapes and emphasized that "ripeness is no longer a problem in Burgundy." When he started in 1985, he explained, "a great vintage was when we could pick grapes at 11.5%, and even 11% was okay." Phenolic ripeness, of course, is another issue, and Mugnier told me he's more concerned with phenolic ripeness in dry years, when the juice can be riper than the skins. That's why he waited to harvest in 2009 and got very high sugars. "I would have been happy if I could have done a negative chaptalization in 2009," he told me. Incidentally, when I mentioned that many growers get higher sugars today partly due to lower crop levels, Mugnier noted that his own yields are not lower today than previously. In fact, he said, they were lower in the early '90s, when he used different farming methods.

Freddy Mugnier started picking on September 22 in 2008, with what he described as good sugar levels in the 12% to 12.5% range. He eliminated more rotten than green grapes and emphasized that "ripeness is no longer a problem in Burgundy." When he started in 1985, he explained, "a great vintage was when we could pick grapes at 11.5%, and even 11% was okay." Phenolic ripeness, of course, is another issue, and Mugnier told me he's more concerned with phenolic ripeness in dry years, when the juice can be riper than the skins. That's why he waited to harvest in 2009 and got very high sugars. "I would have been happy if I could have done a negative chaptalization in 2009," he told me. Incidentally, when I mentioned that many growers get higher sugars today partly due to lower crop levels, Mugnier noted that his own yields are not lower today than previously. In fact, he said, they were lower in the early '90s, when he used different farming methods.

Freddy Mugnier carried out a more careful debourbage than normal in 2007 as he had to eliminate some rotten fruit in most of his vineyards, but he told me that the wines were so clear by November that he wasn't planning to rack them until the bottling. "The pHs are normal, and not especially high," he told me. "The vintage has a lot in common with 2000, or at least that was my first impression. The grapes had thin skins and the wines are low in tannins but they have better acidity. Since the end of the malos in March they've put on weight and color and become more serious. They'll definitely age for 15 years or more, like just about all of my vintages, but will they become greater? I'm not sure there's a hidden dimension to the wines." In contrast, he thought his 2005s and 2006s could last for 50 years, adding that the 2006s were at least as rich as the 2005s, and fresher. But he noted that the development of his wines constantly surprises him. "The '86s, '88s and '97s seemed to be at their peaks at a certain point only to become better and fresher five years later," he said, "while vintages like '90 and '93 have simply aged very slowly and steadily."

Freddy Mugnier carried out a more careful debourbage than normal in 2007 as he had to eliminate some rotten fruit in most of his vineyards, but he told me that the wines were so clear by November that he wasn't planning to rack them until the bottling. "The pHs are normal, and not especially high," he told me. "The vintage has a lot in common with 2000, or at least that was my first impression. The grapes had thin skins and the wines are low in tannins but they have better acidity. Since the end of the malos in March they've put on weight and color and become more serious. They'll definitely age for 15 years or more, like just about all of my vintages, but will they become greater? I'm not sure there's a hidden dimension to the wines." In contrast, he thought his 2005s and 2006s could last for 50 years, adding that the 2006s were at least as rich as the 2005s, and fresher. But he noted that the development of his wines constantly surprises him. "The '86s, '88s and '97s seemed to be at their peaks at a certain point only to become better and fresher five years later," he said, "while vintages like '90 and '93 have simply aged very slowly and steadily."

Freddy Mugnier's 2005s are wines to make a Burgundy lover cry-especially if he or she doesn't own them-but his '06s are no less remarkable in the context of the newer vintage. He picked early, with good sugars, actually beginning before the official start of the harvest in the Nuits-Saint-Georges Clos de la Marechale on September 18, and though he brought in his fruit in good conditions he was unsure of its quality at the outset. Today he's far more positive. "The structure of the '06s is more apparent than that of the '05s," he began. "Their tannins are a bit sharp, and they have slightly more acidity, but the wines are almost as dense as the 2005s. Of course, this was not at all evident just after the fermentations: we thought they were a bit weak in the middle. Now they seem to combine the structure of the '99s with the intensity and sharpness of the 2001s." Mugnier carried out the same vinification as in recent years: two to four pigeages per day during the last half of the fermentation, when most of the grape sugars have already been fermented. His aim is to keep the berries uncrushed as long as possible, which helps him extend the length of the fermentation. Grape sugars, according to Mugnier, were the same here in '06 as in the previous year-from 12.5% up to 14% for part of the Clos de la Marechale.

Freddy Mugnier's 2005s are wines to make a Burgundy lover cry-especially if he or she doesn't own them-but his '06s are no less remarkable in the context of the newer vintage. He picked early, with good sugars, actually beginning before the official start of the harvest in the Nuits-Saint-Georges Clos de la Marechale on September 18, and though he brought in his fruit in good conditions he was unsure of its quality at the outset. Today he's far more positive. "The structure of the '06s is more apparent than that of the '05s," he began. "Their tannins are a bit sharp, and they have slightly more acidity, but the wines are almost as dense as the 2005s. Of course, this was not at all evident just after the fermentations: we thought they were a bit weak in the middle. Now they seem to combine the structure of the '99s with the intensity and sharpness of the 2001s." Mugnier carried out the same vinification as in recent years: two to four pigeages per day during the last half of the fermentation, when most of the grape sugars have already been fermented. His aim is to keep the berries uncrushed as long as possible, which helps him extend the length of the fermentation. Grape sugars, according to Mugnier, were the same here in '06 as in the previous year-from 12.5% up to 14% for part of the Clos de la Marechale.

Freddy Mugnier harvested early in 2005, beginning in Nuits-Saint-Georges before the ban de vendange because the grapes were already ripe (sugars reached 14% in part of the Clos de la Marechale). Mugnier, who does not normally pick late, told me that "the clones we've chosen in the last 20 years [that is, in Burgundy as a region] will not respond well to global warming. The 777 may be the most widely used clone but it's far too precocious, which can be a problem in warmer summers." He offered the opinion that "our children may be as critical of the clones we planted as we were about the clones our parents selected." Mugnier describes 2005 as "almost too smooth. The wines are not yet particularly complex because no one element yet stands out. Perfection can be boring." Mugnier did not include any stems in the 2005 vinifications but told me he regretted this and actually did use some whole clusters in 2006. Incidentally, Mugnier was one of a few winemakers to tell me that he is delaying punching down the cap until the fermentations get well underway, because early pigeage requires a lot of energy and crushes the berries and stresses the grape skins (Mugnier's destemmer only crushes about 20% of the grapes). "Everything interesting is in the skin walls, and we need to preserve their integrity and release these components slowly," he said. (The far more common practice is frequent punchdowns early in vinification, as a majority of winemakers believe that extraction in the presence of alcohol risks introducing harsher tannins. But those who are reconsidering this strategy-not just Mugnier but Dominique Lafon and Etienne de Montille as well-number among the more thoughtful vignerons I visit each year.) The 2005s had been racked just before my visit, following mostly late malos. (A Becky Wasserman selection; importers include Martin-Scott Wines, Ltd., Lake Success, NY) Also recommended: Nuits-Saint-Georges Clos des Fourches (86).

Freddy Mugnier harvested early in 2005, beginning in Nuits-Saint-Georges before the ban de vendange because the grapes were already ripe (sugars reached 14% in part of the Clos de la Marechale). Mugnier, who does not normally pick late, told me that "the clones we've chosen in the last 20 years [that is, in Burgundy as a region] will not respond well to global warming. The 777 may be the most widely used clone but it's far too precocious, which can be a problem in warmer summers." He offered the opinion that "our children may be as critical of the clones we planted as we were about the clones our parents selected." Mugnier describes 2005 as "almost too smooth. The wines are not yet particularly complex because no one element yet stands out. Perfection can be boring." Mugnier did not include any stems in the 2005 vinifications but told me he regretted this and actually did use some whole clusters in 2006. Incidentally, Mugnier was one of a few winemakers to tell me that he is delaying punching down the cap until the fermentations get well underway, because early pigeage requires a lot of energy and crushes the berries and stresses the grape skins (Mugnier's destemmer only crushes about 20% of the grapes). "Everything interesting is in the skin walls, and we need to preserve their integrity and release these components slowly," he said. (The far more common practice is frequent punchdowns early in vinification, as a majority of winemakers believe that extraction in the presence of alcohol risks introducing harsher tannins. But those who are reconsidering this strategy-not just Mugnier but Dominique Lafon and Etienne de Montille as well-number among the more thoughtful vignerons I visit each year.) The 2005s had been racked just before my visit, following mostly late malos. (A Becky Wasserman selection; importers include Martin-Scott Wines, Ltd., Lake Success, NY) Also recommended: Nuits-Saint-Georges Clos des Fourches (86).

Just when you think you have a good grasp on a particular vintage, or on how it should have been handled by winemakers, it's time for a visit to Freddy Mugnier, who can be counted on to take a contrarian approach. Mugnier harvested early in 2004, beginning the day before the ban and carrying out little in the way of triage, except in his hailed-on parcels in Amoureuses and Bonnes-Mares. "The grapes were evenly ripe and perfectly healthy, with the highest sugars ever at this estate," he told me. The malos here were no later than usual (ending between March and July of 2005), and the wines had been racked a couple weeks before my visit. "I make every wine in the cellar exactly the same way, regardless of the vintage," Mugnier told me. "I have come to this approach progressively over time. I realized in 2003 that it was better not to change much about a vintage. The few things I changed in 2003 I regret having changed, even though the grapes were so unusual. It's better to trust the balance of nature than to attempt to compensate for what you think is missing. "