From Combe d ‘Orveaux above the Chateau de Vougeot and Plantes (a premier cru), Mugnier’s 2005 Chambolle-Musingy puts forward a lovely nose of red raspberry, cherry, high-toned citrus oils, and heady gardenia perfume. A tender, infectiously-juicy and silken-textured palate brimming with fresh red raspberries and cherries leads into a bright sweetly-fruited, subtly spicy and chalky finish that successfully pulls through the striking floral fragrances and zesty citricity. This might not have a dull day in its life, but even if it swoons briefly after bottling, it should make for plenty of pleasure between at the very least 2-7 years of age.
Frederic Mugnier works from a just-expanded and superbly appointed cellar, and a tasting of his 2004s confirms that he is scoring hits even when Nature does not make it easy as she did the following year. Mugnier advocates unusually late but limited pigeage. “After all,” he opines, “we take great care not to crush the berries, so it doesn’t make sense to do an early pigeage and break them,” and late punch-down further extends the fermentation.
Various Importers. A Becky Wasserman Selection, Le Serbet; fax 011- 333-80-24-29-70.