2016 Nuits-St Georges Rouge, Clos de la Maréchale, 1er Cru, Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier, Burgundy

The yield is down by 40 percent but Frédéric likes its character. The wine is structured, with a lovely fresh top note, a hint of spice; it’s neat and controlled with a bit of crunch. This is very silky for a Nuits-St Georges. Frédéric kindly also showed the 2015 at the same time. By comparison it is full-bodied and savoury, clearly a wine for the long term and needing time. The 2016 will be drinking beautifully until the 2015 is ready. Drink 2021-2030.
Adam Bruntlett, Burgundy Buyer

Domaine Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier is based at the Château de Chambolle-Musigny which has been in the Mugnier family since 1863. In 1985 Frédéric Mugnier, the fifth generation of the family on the property, took over, though he combined running the family domaine with his job as an airline pilot until 1998. Now he concentrates solely on the domaine, where consistency has improved as a result, and from 2004 he has also taken back the Nuits-St Georges Clos de la Maréchale vineyard, on lease to Faiveley since 1950. Only the Clos de la Maréchale is offered at this stage of the year. Frédéric began the harvest on 25th September, and likes the quality very much – calling it puissant, rich and seductive. He loves the freshness that comes hand-in- hand with ripeness in such a powerful year. He also observes that being able to achieve this balance is an increasingly common occurrence, possibly due to climate change, but more likely because of better vineyard health. His Chambolle vineyards were badly frosted, those in Nuits-St Georges a little less so, but volumes are down nonetheless. W hen asked about the mildew problem, his laconic answer was that it was only an issue for anyone not prepared to work the vineyard on a Sunday.