En primeur tasting - Burgundy Briefing

Domaine Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier, Chambolle-Musigny
Mugnier comments that this was a vintage requiring a great deal of work and one in
which growers were very anxious about disease. Very careful yield control was
paramount, in addition to attention to spraying at the right time and creation of an
open canopy.
The vines in Nuits-Saint-Georges La Maréchale tend to be very vigorous. Maison
Joseph Faiveley attempted to control yields with short pruning, concentrating vigour
on a small number of buds. Now Mugnier has repossessed the property, he has
reversed the approach to one of long pruning together with removing every second
bud from the cane at bud break. Now the buds are well spaced out. “It’s more work,
but it’s worth it.”
He comments on the 2004s. “I like the fruit. It is very intense and fresh. The wines
are full and complete and remind me of 2002, but with more structure and tannins.
When the grapes are ripe and healthy the wine will always age well. We broke the
ripeness levels in one parcel of Maréchale. It was higher than in 2003. September
was perfect. The closer we get to the time of harvest the more important the climate.
A great vintage can be ruined, but the reverse is also true when it is sunny, bright and
dry and there are enough water reserves in the soil.”
Mugnier reports a sugar increase of 1.5 degree a week (0.2 a day), and attributes this
to the quality of the light. It was sunny, but quite cool. He compares it with 2003
when the hot sun and excessive temperatures caused the vine to shut down, to block
photosynthesis and dehydrate the fruit.
Comparable vintages? Mugnier considers there were some similarities with
1993…cool weather and a good September. In 2001 he clearly recalls growers being
anxious and then maturation came late with a cool and dry, but not sunny
September. The harvest ripened, not as quickly as in 2004, but he considers the fruit
comparable as both ripened in cool weather.
Malic acidity was high, the reverse of 2003 when it was low but stable, so the total
acidity dropped a lot during the malolactic fermentation. It is higher than the 2002,
2003 and 2000 but not 2001.
Mugnier comments that the “ideal wine for me to drink is a wine to drink at any age.”
This was not always the case. Mugnier’s palate was educated on old wines pre-1950.
No wine was made by the family from 1950-78 as the family vines were leased to
Maison Joseph Faiveley.
He considers that all his wine can be drunk very young or mature, although of course
they may go through a closed period. Mugnier’s wine is very approachable in youth.
They are quite the opposite of the recently fashionably big extracted wines
demanding years to come round. A wine need not be big to have the capacity to age
beautifully and Mugnier’s wine clearly illustrates this. However he does concede that
it would be a pity not to leave the grand cru until they have matured to full potential.