Musigny

2013 Musigny Jacques Frederic Mugnier

  • Color:
    Red
  • Appellation:
    Musigny
  • Volume:
    0.75L
  • Grape Type:
    Pinot Noir
  • Packaging:
    Loose
  • Stock Location:
    France
€1,832
Wine Critics Notes:

Vinous - Score: 94 (2019 December)

The 2013 Musigny Vieilles Vignes Grand Cru will be released with Mugnier’s forthcoming 2018s. “Twenty or thirty years ago, the 2013 would have been a total catastrophe,” he told me in his barrel cellar. “I am surprised by the presence and substance of the wine, which has high acidity yet is quite restrained. I think the five years of aging have softened the edges.” The 2013 has an attractive and very tertiary-inspired bouquet that evokes images of strolling through a woodland in autumn, red berry fruit tinged with decayed brown leaves, damp soil and morels, and also touches of bay leaf and jasmine tea. The palate is medium-bodied with a slightly rustic bent for a Musigny, though as Mugnier mentioned, it is underpinned by an almost racy sense of acidity that might be off-putting to those who prefer a denser, fruitier style. The fruit is a little darker than suggested by the nose, presenting a soupçon of meat juices and plenty of undergrowth notes on the finish. This is not a Musigny with the utmost finesse and grace, yet it brims with character. While it does possess the substance to age in bottle, the 2013 supports Mugnier’s policy of allowing this particular cru to mature for five or six years before release. That said, I would afford it another five or six years’ maturation.