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Red Burgundy Elite: The Monopole of Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier

Red Burgundy Elite: The Monopole of Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier

Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier produces wines that personally can be best described asdesert island Pinot Noir. We're talking the short list. One cannot overstate just how beloved the red Burgundies from this address really are. There are few producers in the world who summon the interest of collectors and the respect of their neighbors quite like Mugnier. 

The domaine lies in the heart of the village of Chambolle-Musigny, home to the most ethereal wines of Burgundy. Mugnier and his gentle approach to winemaking is as synonymous with the village, dubbed the Queen of Burgundy, than any other producer. In fact, Mugnier only produces one Pinot Noir from outside, the Premier Cru Clos de la Maréchale from Nuits-Saint-Georges.

The easy way to tell the story is to say Mugnier applies that lifted style of his Chambolle wines to his Maréchale, hailing from a village better known for dark earth and muscular structure. Though this characterization has plenty of validity, it tends to sell short just how profound in its own right this monopole vineyard (one owner) from Nuits-Saints-Georges really is.

Maréchale lies at the southernmost end of N-S-G, coming from the Premeaux commune. For centuries the wines of Premeaux have been described as the most elegant of the larger N-S-G appellation. Within Maréchale there are portions of oolitic limestone and sandy soils that are wildly different from what's found throughout the village. This terroir plays as much a role in the grace of the wine here as Mugnier's soft touch in the cellar.

* From the 1820's the walled in Clos de la Marechale vineyard appeared on maps, and in 1855 Jules Lavalle's publication classifying vineyards ranked Maréchale as "1ère Cuvée" - Lavalle said at this time the top wines of Premeaux were selling for the same price as Grand Cru Clos Vougeot bottlings.

Clos de la Maréchale always shows a stunning array of red fruits like pomegranate and wild strawberry, a tell-tale mocha note, and always finishes with a sappy, black cherry core. Mugnier de-stems 100%, during fermentation punching down of the cap is very gentle and done relatively infrequently, and new oak usage is minimal. The goal is to never over-extract too much tannin or color. These wines are always on the more pale end of the spectrum, dominated as much by their notes of roses and violets as they are by fruit profile. This is the essence of perfumed Burgundy. When Pinot Noir was christened the heartbreak grape chances are strong it was Mugnier in the glass.

2014 Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Nuits Saint Georges 1er Cru Clos de la Maréchale
$119 per bottle.
A vintage of relatively fleshy and darker-fruited wines, with classic structure and very good vibrancy offering tons of early to mid-drinking appeal.

2013 Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Nuits Saint Georges 1er Cru Clos de la Maréchale
$119 per bottle.
A vintage characterized by it's freshness and bright fruit qualities. A long, cool growing season gave excellent phenolic ripeness without high alcohol levels. The ultimate classicist vintage.

2012 Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Nuits Saint Georges 1er Cru Clos de la Maréchale
$134 per bottle.
A vintage with tremendous concentration and supple tannins. Good acidity provided excellent balance, and these are on track to age magnificently.

Also available:

2014 Mugnier, Jacques-Frédéric Chambolle Musigny
$142 per bottle.

2013 Mugnier, Jacques-Frédéric Chambolle-Musigny 
$159 per bottle.

2008 Mugnier, Jacques-Frédéric Chambolle Musigny
$172 per bottle.

2007 Mugnier, Jacques-Frédéric Chambolle Musigny
$172 per bottle.

2006 Mugnier, Jacques-Frédéric Chambolle Musigny
$172 per bottle.

2005 Mugnier, Jacques-Frédéric Chambolle Musigny
$242 per bottle.

2002 Mugnier, Jacques-Frédéric Chambolle Musigny
$239 per bottle.

1998 Mugnier, Jacques-Frédéric Chambolle Musigny
$189 per bottle

2014 Mugnier, Jacques-Frédéric Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru Les Fuées
$257 per bottle

2012 Mugnier, Jacques-Frederic Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru Les Fuées
$277 per bottle.

2010 Mugnier, Jacques-Frédéric Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru Les Fuées
$349 per bottle.

2009 Mugnier, Jacques-Frédéric Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru Les Fuées
$313 per bottle.

2008 Mugnier, Jacques-Frédéric Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Fuees
$259 per bottle.

2005 Mugnier, Jacques-Frédéric Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru Les Fuées
$377 per bottle.

1998 Mugnier, Jacques-Frédéric Bonnes Mares
$594 per bottle.

2014 Mugnier, Jacques-Frédéric Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses
$939 per bottle.

1990 Mugnier, Jacques-Frédéric Musigny
$1,599 per bottle.

If you're interested in learning more about Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier please be sure to listen to the always excellent, I'll Drink to That! Wine Podcast by Levi Dalton. It has become a great resource to hear, in their own words, the stories of today's most celebrated winemakers across the globe.
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