Pressoir.Wine Dinner Recap – Domaine Mugneret-Gibourg

Pressoir.Wine Dinner – Mugneret-Gibourg

 It is always such a pleasure to revisit the gorgeous wines from this family that we like so much. The Mugneret sisters are running an impeccable eight hectare estate spread on nine different appellations, mostly concentrated around Vosne-Romanée, where the winery has been based since 1933. Although the domaine was founded that year, important vineyards were acquired with the second generation, embodied by the legendary Georges Mugneret who purchased plots in various Premiers Crus of Nuits-Saint-Georges, Clos Vougeot, Chambolle 1er Cru Feusselottes and the mythical Ruchottes Chambertin, acquired from Thomas Bassot. Georges Mugneret made the domaine famous but the generations that followed, driven by women, have been making stunning wines - brilliant and authentic wines - that are often placed at the highest level.

After Georges passed away suddenly in 1988, both his daughters helped their mother at the domaine. They changed the name back to Domaine Mugneret-Gibourg in 2009 (Georges Mugneret had named it Domaine Georges Mugneret when he took over). Today, Lucie (Marie-Christine’s daughter) oversees the winemaking while Marie Andrée’s daughters Fanny and Marion are also involved in the family activities.

1st FLIGHT: VOSNE-ROMANEE

Our dinner focused on four wines from various vintages, starting with a flight of Vosne-Romanée. The domaine sources this village level wine from five climats, all acquired from the initial 1930’s domaine creation (Champ Gourdin, Croix Blanche, Colombiere, Pré de la Folie and Chalandin).

2018. I still feel the heat of that vintage in red Burgundy overall. Although I will say this bottle was very elegant. It was a good idea to double decant it I think.

2017. A very different wine with fresh acidity. In 2017, the domaine decided to light up bonfires in the vineyards in April to avoid frost damage on the young buds. Interestingly enough, it is not the heat of these fires that helped fight the frost effect but the smoke it created. That screen of smoke reduced the burning effect of the sunlight on the ice-covered buds.

2015. That vintage showed beautifully in each flight. The hot and sunny summer of that year produced concentrated wines with tannins that took some time to soften but patience is rewarding us today.

2ND FLIGHT: NUITS-SAINT-GEORGES 1er CRU CHAIGNOTS

“A Nuits with hints of Vosne”, according to the family. The Chaignots vineyard was acquired by the visionary Georges Mugneret who purchased these vineyards in 1971, along with the parcels of Clos Vougeot, Ruchottes-Chambertin and Chambolle Feusselottes, purchased during that same decade.

2017. Overall, the flight of Chaignots was marked by sharp acidity and I almost feel like we could have reversed the order on flight #1 and flight #2. 2017 was particularly austere but in the best way, reminiscent of tart griotte cherries.

2015. Another delicious 2015 here, offering darker fruit and a meatier wine with depth and concentration as the ultimate vintage signature.

2014. This challenging vintage rewarded the vignerons who were meticulous enough to sort out grapes affected by rot. An invading fruit fly hungry for black grapes did a lot of damage in 2014, in Burgundy but also in the northern Rhône Valley where Syrah suffered from the insect bite. It is not a surprise to find a beautifully balanced wine here as we know the Mugneret sisters’ attention to details and skill.

3RD FLIGHT: ECHEZEAUX GRAND CRU

With nearly 100 acres, the Grand Cru Echezeaux is a large appellation where quality can vary. With two plots, one located in the upper portion of the slope (Rouges du Bas) and one in the lower one (Quartiers de Nuits), Domaine Mugneret-Gibourg is able to offer a complete lecture of the vineyard and the wine is superb.

2015. Irresistible notes of kirsch. Magnificent and multi-layered.

2014. Another gorgeous wine, maybe my favorite of the night, most certainly because of the surprise factor. I didn’t expect such a generous aromatic burst from a 2014. Blooming with red fruits and almost exuberant.

2011. A very similar happy surprise here. While 2011 is often overwhelmingly vegetal and green, this wine was solidly anchored with high quality tannins and developed beautiful violet flowers laced with cranberries and damp earth. Congratulations on making such a pretty wine in such a difficult, rainy season.

4TH FLIGHT: RUCHOTTES-CHAMBERTIN GRAND CRU

“A Chambertin raised in Vosne” as legend Henri Jayer wrote about Ruchottes. Georges purchased his parcel of Ruchottes from the Thomas Bassot estate after M. Rousseau himself decided not to buy it all for himself! This rocky vineyard with very little topsoil is located at the end of the Combe de Lavaux and mirrors the Clos saint Jacques, on the other side of the Combe.

2015. Another slam dunk for 2015! Real Grand Cru material with intensity, built like an athlete.

2014. Back to sharper acidity, fortunately balanced by enough depth and a lovely grippy texture, excellent with food.

2011. I felt the green undertones that are characteristic of the vintage, more obvious here than with the Echezeaux. Nevertheless, a gorgeous wine.

Grands Crus from Domaine Mugneret-Gibourg, at Daniel

About last night… An overview of the Mugneret-Gibourg lineup from a memorable Pressoir.wine dinner at Restaurant Daniel

By Raj Vaidya and Edouard Bourgeois

December 8, 2020

Last night we were all thrilled to get the opportunity to taste five vintages side by side from 2 prestigious Grands Crus, Ruchottes-Chambertin and Echezeaux, all from the famed Domaine Mugneret-Gibourg. (By the way, I want to remind you that the recording of the interview with Lucie Teillaud Mugneret from Domaine Mugneret Gibourg is available for you Club Members with your login access on our website).

Starting with the difficult 2011 vintage, the two wines expressed the signature of that challenging harvest, showing notes of root vegetables, dirt and a hint of a vegetal character. In my opinion, the Echezeaux outperformed the Ruchottes-Chambertin. I really found the fruit of the former to be very pretty and airy, while the latter appeared sturdier and more serious. A nice pairing with the sunchoke velouté, and a nice way to ease into a terrific series of wine pairings with the elegant menu designed by Daniel Boulud.

What followed was probably my favorite flight. Paired with an incredibly tender wood fired octopus, the 2014’s shined as bright as you could have hoped! While 2015 may steal the show with higher scores and overall praise for its muscular energy, I often prefer the more delicate character of the pinot noirs from 2014. That year, Mother Nature did throw a few curve balls though, starting with hailstorms, mostly concentrated on the Cote de Beaune, and later on, the apparition of a damaging fruit fly, the Drosophila Suzukii, apparently only interested in red grapes, thus not affecting Chardonnay grapes… However, the quality of fruit was impressive and so pure.

As interesting as it gets, we also opened a Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru 2008 from the domaine. The wine was juicy and perfectly balanced. Lighter on its feet than the grands crus from the same vintage for sure, but with enough personality and depth.

~ Edouard

After our little speed bump of the 08 Gevrey 1er Cru (which was actually the young vines of Ruchottes, bottled thus labeled for a period in the mid aughts), we dove into one of my favorite vintages for the Domaine, the bright and ethereal 2008’s. The Ruchottes held a clear edge of quality between the two wines, more precise without a touch of austerity, while the Echezeaux exhibited a bit more of a meaty edge while still being a bit blockish. After an hour or so the Ech’ caught up in quality, but by then we’d moved onto my favorite vintage of the current century thus far…

We paired the 2010’s with a spectacular dish of Pintade, or guinea hen, roasted and served with mushrooms, truffles and spelt. The wines exhibited the signature density and finesse of the vintage, and were incredibly long on the palate, perfectly balanced between pleasurable dark red fruit and the beginnings of earthy, tertiary flavors and aromas which melded perfectly with the truffles.

We finished with a selection of perfectly ripe cheeses and a pair of 99’s. The prodigious 1999 vintage produced wines with incredible depth and complexity. These bottles did not disappoint, though they were not as fleshy and precise as the 2010’s they followed. More of an earthy style, even a tad bit more rustic than the polish of the more contemporary bottles preceding. But the length was tremendous!

A glorious night of delicious Burgundy, what’s better than that?

~Raj