20 Nov 2012: Richard, with the help of Becky, Jasper and David (and a few others), hosted a vertical tasting of Drouhin Musigny in Bourgogne! It was another well-attended event, supported by some very dear friends and wine experts and we were particularly pleased that Véronique Drouhin was able to join us. Out of the 22 vintages of Drouhin Musigny that we tasted, only 4 of them were somewhat out of condition.
The Drouhin holding of Musigny covers 0.67 ha at the northern end of the Grand Cru climat. It is largely the result of a single block purchase in 1961, with replanting of vines in 1973 and 1976. The vineyard is now biodynamically farmed. I think it would be fair to say that we tasted a range of wines showing very consistent high quality and a finesse and opulence that could only be the benchmark for Musigny.
Here are my very brief notes:
2009: Bright red fruit, floral and spicy notes. Very youthful. Lovely structure and elegance. Textbook Musigny. 18/20
2008: Lovely red fruit, with nuances of sous-bois and tea leaves. Poised structure, generous mouthfeel, with ripe velvety tannin and vibrant acidity. Persistent finish. Really gorgeous. 18.5/20
2007: Much more evolved than 2008. Showing sauvage and earthy notes, with some tea leaves. A more delicate frame, lower in acidity. Drinking deliciously now. A charming Musigny, but does not have the class and pedigree to age effortlessly over a long time. 17/20
2006 (magnum): A great perfume of strawberry red fruit and pot pourri. Some sappy notes on palate. A well-crafted wine but lacking in ripeness, depth and concentration. 16.5/20
2005: Very intense nose. Rich and complex perfume. Fabulously balanced and harmonious. Epitome of finesse, elegance, opulence, richness and concentration. Great definition of minerality on palate. Persistent finish. A complete wine for the very long haul. 19.5/20
2004: 100% destemmed. Sauvage notes, animal, tea leaves, and just a hint of herbaceous note on the palate. Silky texture, with fine acidity. Medium weight, well-balanced, and a long finish. A very good effort for a challenging vintage. 17.5/20
2003: Rather atypical. Some notes of stewed fruit, toffee and coffee notes. Ripe and firm tannin, lowish in acidity. Astringent finish. 15.5/20
2002: Farmyard, rusty nail, spice and red fruit notes. Needed aeration to emerge as a real beauty. Poise, purity, elegance and finesse, with a fine structure of decent acidity and silky tannin. Very smooth mouthfeel. 18/20
2001: Quite a floral (violet) nose, with red fruit, animal, coffee and spicy notes. Firm minerality on the palate. A slightly tighter structure than the 2002. Harmonious and gorgeous. Quite sensual. 18.5/20
1999: Quite a deeper colour here. Intense nose with a sweet note dominating the bouquet. Red and black fruit and spices. Rather youthful still, with lots of energy. Robustly structured, with high concentration of high quality raw material, firm ripe tannin. Opulently textured. Long long finish. Drinking well now, with excellent potential for ageing. 19/20
1996: Prune, plum, coffee and violet notes. Velvety tannin, with vibrant and firm acidity. Nicely weighty on the palate, showing generosity and a long finish. 18/20
1995: Red fruit, earthy, sweaty saddle and lightly spicy. Firm, slightly astringent tannin, lower acidity. A little austere still but coming round nicely. 17.5/20
1993: Not sure what to make of it…..slightly madeirised and rather bretty?
1990: A fleshy and flamboyant wine, with the hallmark elegance and finesse. Richness without the weight, mouthcoatingly sensual, a beautifully long long finsish. Notes of coffee, raspberry, pot pourri and minerality on palate. A scrumptious wine. My wine of the flight. 19.5/20
1989: Quite a similar bouquet and palate sensation to the 1990. Slightly more linear in structure than the 1990, but still rewards with mouthcoating richness and a lingering finish. Good acidity. 19/20
1988: A very expressive bouquet. Coffee, mocha, plum, dark fruit, nutmeg. Velvety texture. Firm acidity. A wine still with lots of vigour but perhaps less generous on the palate compared to the 1985! 18/20
1985: Quite mature and charmingly delicious. Mocha, nutmeg and berries. Generous on the palate, with silky texture and a lovely finish. Drinking at peak now. Will not benefit from further ageing. 18.5/20
1983: Rusty nail, mocha and berries. Sweet notes on the palate, does not have the intensity of the 1985. Very good effort for the vintage. 17/20
1978: Very expressive of the vintage. Gracefully aged mature Musigny, with a very refined bouquet of coffee, berries, nutmeg and pot pourri. There still shows a very nice intensity of flavours on the palate, and a well-knit structure, keeping the wine fresh and poised. Plenty of pur sweet fruit on the palate. Drink now. 18.5/20
1971: out of condition
1964: out of condition
1962: out of condition
A sensational tasting……..and what an achievement that we pulled this off as it hadn’t been that easy with logistics and a few other hiccups along the way this year! For me, every bottle of Musigny is a very special bottle and I look forward to re-tasting some of these wines on other occasions, when I would have more time to really appreciate and savour every drop of this precious Grand Cru!
No comments:
Post a Comment