2014 Musigny Grand Cru La Vougeraie

There are only three barrels of this superlative wine - not surprising, given the size of the parcel at 0.2 hectares. It's a hand crafted wine of palate-blowing quality, expressing everything that makes this Grand Cru so special. Balanced, refined and polished like a precious stone, it's a red that caresses your palate with silky elegance. 2029-30.

Somewhat more obvious wood influence is present on the spicy, elegant and wonderfully pure nose that is composed of essence of red and dark pinot fruit, earth and underbrush aromas that display a plethora of floral top notes. The equally pure, intense superbly detailed full-bodied flavors benefit from an abundance of palate soaking dry extract that serves to buffer the extremely firm tannic spine on the beautifully delineated and seamlessly well-balanced if mildly austere finish. This gorgeously refined and classy effort is ultra-serious and it's again completely clear that it's going to need an extended stay in a proper cellar.

The 2014 Musigny Grand Cru includes 100% whole cluster fruit and comprises of three barrels, one of them new and the others one- and two-years-old. It has a really lovely, sensual bouquet that is already very elegant and finessed with flint-tinged red cherry and wild strawberry fruit. It is just very very precise. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins with bitter cherry and a touch of spice, embroidered with life-affirming mineralité and a sense of precision on the finish that instantaneously informs you that you are in propitious terroir-tory. What a great Musigny from winemaker Pierre Vincent.

Healthy deep red. A note of smoky reduction to the deep aromas of raspberry, pepper and underbrush. Densely packed and extremely youthful, conveying remarkable vibrancy and definition to its fruit and soil flavors. Possesses even more body than the Bonnes-Mares but the latter wine may be more satisfying for the first 12 to 15 years. The Musigny's tight tannins will need a minimum of several years to soften, but the palate- dusting finishing minerality already gives the wine terrific lift and stimulates the taste buds. I was barely aware of the whole clusters here. This wine was slated to be bottled in March.