Wine Vault: Musigny- Baltimore Wine Weekend #3: Musigny, March 8, 1997

The Wine List:

1993 Musigny Vieilles Vignes- Comte de Vogue

1992 Musigny Vieilles Vignes- Comte de Vogue

1991 Musigny Vieilles Vignes- Comte de Vogue

1990 Musigny Vieilles Vignes- Comte de Vogue

1989 Musigny Vieilles Vignes- Comte de Vogue

1988 Musigny Vieilles Vignes- Comte de Vogue

1985 Musigny Vieilles Vignes- Comte de Vogue

1972 Musigny Vieilles Vignes- Comte de Vogue

1969 Musigny Vieilles Vignes- Comte de Vogue

1945 Musigny Vieilles Vignes- Comte de Vogue

1994 Musigny- Roumier

1993 Musigny- Roumier

1992 Musigny- Roumier

1991 Musigny- Roumier

1990 Musigny- Roumier

1985 Musigny- Roumier

1957 Musigny- Roumier

1993 Musigny- Joseph Drouhin

1990 Musigny- Joseph Drouhin

1989 Musigny- Joseph Drouhin

1988 Musigny- Joseph Drouhin

1969 Musigny- Joseph Drouhin

1993 Musigny- Louis Jadot

1991 Musigny- Louis Jadot

1990 Musigny- Louis Jadot

1988 Musigny- Louis Jadot

1986 Musigny- Frederic Mugnier (Chateau de Chambolle-Musigny)

1992 Musigny Blanc- Comte de Vogue

1990 Musigny Blanc- Comte de Vogue

The Reds:

1993 Musigny Vieilles Vignes- Comte de Vogue

I love the 1993 De Vogue Moose, but this tasting confirmed that as fine as this wine will be, it will forever have to live in the shadows of the twin titans of 1990 and 1991. This is a great wine, make no mistake about it, but 1990 and 1991 have produced wines of even more depth, complexity and character. The nose here is lovely, with scents of blueberry fruit, cherry, bitter chocolate, herbs, roses, smoke, minerals, and toasty new oak jumping from the glass. Full, bright, and beautifully-balanced on the palate, with great length and focus, and moderate tannins on the finish. Still quite unevolved, the 1993 De Vogue lacks that great core of fruit in reserve that both 1990 and 1991 possess in spades. Still, this is a great wine. 2003-2040. 93+.

1992 Musigny Vieilles Vignes- Comte de Vogue

I have had this wine a couple of times in the last few weeks, with the bottle at the Musigny tasting showing less well than a subsequent bottle. The wine is in need of drinking up fairly soon, before the lovely red fruit of the wine gives way to the vintage's greenness. The bouquet offers up scents of quince, red cherry, beet root, woodsmoke, mustard seed, forest floor, and a hint of wood. On the palate the wine is medium-bodied, with just a threat of greenness, moderate saturation, fine balance, and a moderately-long finish. Certainly a good wine, but a wine I preferred a couple of years ago. 1997-2001. 88.

1991 Musigny Vieilles Vignes- Comte de Vogue

This will evolve into one of the legendary De Vogues, with a depth, complexity and richness that firmly announces that the glory days have indeed returned to this fabled domaine. The nose explodes from the glass with scents of sappy kirsch-like fruit, plum, coffee, tobacco, earth, pit fruits, herbs, minerals, and toasty new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, rich, impeccably-balanced and just stuffed with ripe fruit. The finish is long, complex, suave, and still fairly tannic. This is a profound young Moose that is approachable now, but is so emphatically still on its way up that it is forbidden to open a bottle for another five to seven years! 2002-2030. 95.

1990 Musigny Vieilles Vignes- Comte de Vogue

This and the 1991 will be linked in much the same way as the 1947 and 1949 Cheval Blancs. One of the greatest young Burgundies I have ever tasted, the 1990 De Vogue is a wine of legendary proportions. The quintessentially Musigny bouquet does not so much emerge, as inundate the room that it is opened in: cherry, plum, strawberry, mustard seed, tobacco, earth, smoke and toasty oak. On the palate the wine is totally closed right now, with tight acids and firm tannins vainly trying to hold back a tsunami of perfectly ripe fruit. This seriously profound wine has perfect balance and structure to guarantee decades of evolution. An awe-inspiring wine of epic proportions. Will it match the legendary 1945? 2010-2070. 98+.

1989 Musigny Vieilles Vignes- Comte de Vogue

I have had a few indifferent bottles of this lately, but I attribute these less than stellar showings to storage at the hazardous retail level, rather than any bottle variation with the wine itself. Prior to those couple of bottles, this has been consistently stunning wine, and this particular bottle was a triumphant return to form. That said, over the last year, the unheralded 1988 De Vogue seems to be emerging from its shell and moving ahead of the more forward 1989! The nose on the '89 is classic Musigny: cherry, plum, strawberry, ginger, iron-like soil tones, coffee, herb tones, and cedary wood. On the palate the wine is deep, full, and tangy, with great delineation, perfect focus, soft tannins, and a long, complex, aristocratic finish. A very convincing bottle of Musigny for drinking over the next two decades. 2001-2020. 93.

1988 Musigny Vieilles Vignes- Comte de Vogue

While the fine showing of the 1989 comes as no surprise, the ill-reputed 1988 has been coming with a vengeance over the last year. It is still not ready to drink, but the firm tannin and acid girdle that kept this, and so many other 1988 Grand Crus buttoned up over the last eight years is starting to peel back. Underneath is a powerfully concentrated, intensely flavored Moose that will continue to grow over the next decade. The nose soars from the glass with scents of red cherry, strawberry, quince, spices, tobacco, mustard seed and cedary wood. Medium-full and bouncy on the palate, with a great core of fruit, beautiful balance, excellent intensity, and a long, complex, moderately-tannic finish. This is five years away from nobility. 2002-2030. 94+.

1985 Musigny Vieilles Vignes- Comte de Vogue

I have had wonderful bottles of this wine- another woefully underrated De Vogue. This particular bottle had a lowish fill, and did not show as it can. It was high-toned and red fruity, with autumnal tones, wandering focus, but reasonable length on the finish. A good bottle I had of this six months before was a completely different story: "Truly a super effort from the slump years at De Vogue. Nothing off about this beauty: a signature nose of red cherry, quince, coffee, mustard seed, tobacco, ginger biscuits, minerals, venison, herbs, and a deft touch of toasty new oak. Medium-full on the palate, with the lovely sweet fruit of the vintage tied to a great core of fruit, bouncy acidity, and a long, complex, softly-tannic finish. Like so many 1985s, this will not make old bones, but the mid-palate dilution that plagues so many wines from this vintage is nowhere in evidence. A superb bottle for drinking over the next twelve or so years." This is a wine to look for, as a great wine lurks behind its indifferent reputation. 1996- 2010. 93.

1972 Musigny Vieilles Vignes- Comte de Vogue

Here is a wine I bought out of a cellar a few years ago on Robert Parker's strong note in his Burgundy book. It has been a while since Parker's notes on Burgundy have been a reliable yardstick (at least for my palate), but his recommendation was right on. This is a super effort: the nose explodes from the glass with scents of strawberry, quince, orange rind, coffee, mustard seed, iron, tobacco, roses and cedary wood. Full-bodied and quite snappy on the palate, with a juicy core of fruit, modest tannins, bright, but well-integrated acidity, and a long, complex, stunning finish. A great wine, with years of life ahead of it. 1997-2012. 94.

1969 Musigny Vieilles Vignes- Comte de Vogue

This is a wine that has been up and down. The good bottles are lovely, classically proportioned Musignys in their prime of life. Poorer examples are a bit flat and "malty" on both the nose and palate. After two or three disappointing showings for this wine, this was a real pleasure. A lovely, slightly malty nose of plum, cherry, ginger biscuits, tobacco, coffee, herbs, smoke, minerals, and cedary wood is right on the money. Deep, full, and quite reticent still the 1969 Musigny is cut along the same flavor lines as the 1962, but without quite the same opulence and sweetness. Still a bit of firm tannin on the finish, as well as a bit of high-toned acidity keeping this wine a bit locked up. A very youthful '69, that may well yet blossom into something spectacular. 1995-2015. 90.

1945 Musigny Vieilles Vignes- Comte de Vogue

The single greatest wine I have ever tasted (on two separate occasions) was a perfectly stored bottle of this wine. The candied sweetness fo the fruit was surreal, with all the layers and nuances of great, great Musigny. Ever since those two bottles, I have been on a search for this wine, but have not had the same luck. Four bottles purchased from Christie's in 1995 were most notable for the rise they got out of Michael Broadbent when he sold them. All of these subsequent bottles have been delicious wines that others have enjoyed immensely. But for those of us who partook in the first two examples, they have been a bit of a letdown. In any event, this wine was a big, full, malty and smoky Musigny, with a fine dollop of red fruit surrounded by scents of truffles, forest floor, chocolate, herb tones, smoke, and toasty wood. Deep-pitched and quite powerful on the palate, with fine length, modest tannins, and a long, complex finish. All four of these bottles (the last bottle was poured for this Musigny marathon) have merited scores in the high 80s. Perfect bottles are 105! 1997-2005. 89+.

1994 Musigny- Roumier

I have a strong preference for the 1994 vintage over the 1992s, and this is amplified at Domaine Roumier. Roumier has beautifully captured the potential of the vintage, turning out wines that are medium-bodied, but fresh, poised and perfumed. The '94 Musigny is a lovely wine: scents of plum, black cherry, woodsmoke, coffee, roses, minerals, and a touch of new wood wafting from the glass. Medium-bodied, round and well-etched on the palate, with bright, sweet fruit, fine acidity, and just a whisper of tannin on the finish. I would opt for giving this wine a couple of years in the cellar, and then consuming it over the next five. Delicious stuff. 1999-2005. 92.

1993 Musigny- Roumier

This wine will be fabulous, but it will require a decade's worth of patience. The nose is still tight and closed, with resinous scents of cherry, plum, coffee, balsam boughs, vinesmoke, herbs, soil tones, and a touch of new wood. Deep, full, and quite tight on the palate right now, with a juicy core of fruit, lovely focus, and a long, complex, quite tannic finish. While this wine is totally shut down right now, there is no need to worry about its future evolution. All the constituent components are in place for a long, fitful life. 2005-2040. 94+.

1992 Musigny- Roumier

The 1992 vintage has produced a number of lovely shooting stars. Drink them up before the vintage's lack of ripeness gets the upper hand, and off green aromas and flavors take over. This wine is quite ready: autumnal scents of plum, forest floor, cherry, herbs, minerals, and a hint of oak. Medium-bodied and quite ready on the palate, with modest depth, but enough stuffing to still carry the wine a few years. Drink up. 1997-2000. 89.

1991 Musigny- Roumier

This is a profound wine in every way! Like so many fine 1991s, this wine is just beginning to creep towards its plateau of maturity. Clearly, 1991 is a superb vintage for Domaine Roumier. The profound nose explodes from the glass with scents of plum, black cherry, herbs, woodsmoke, tobacco, minerals, coffee, and cedary wood. Deep, complex, and still quite closed on the palate, with a huge core of ripe fruit, firm tannins, flawless balance, and a long, chewy finish. This great wine is still five years away from its period of majestic profundity, but it will be well worth the wait. A great wine from a great vintage in Chambolle. 2002-2030. 93.

1990 Musigny- Roumier

If the 1991 Roumier Musigny was surprisingly backward still, this wine is a bit more advanced than I would have thought. The very intense nose is beginning to display secondary aromas of forest floor and autumnal notes to go along with cherry, plum, mustard seed, minerals and cedary wood. Deep, full, and nowhere as developed on the palate as it is on the nose. This is a deep, backward, proper vin de garde, with plenty of tannin on its potentially profound finish. When this wine opens, it will be a stunning example of the vintage, but it will require plenty of patience. 2004-2035. 94+.

1985 Musigny- Roumier

1985 was a good, rather than profound vintage for Christophe Roumier. The wines are drinking very well now, but with plenty of life ahead of them still. The '85 Moose is lovely, with scents of cherry, quince, mustard seed, tobacco, iron-like soil tones, venison, and cedary wood, as well as a slightly peppery aspect to the wine. On the palate the wine is beautifully resolved, with full body, great attack, and a long, complex finish. It is in no danger of decline, but I can see little reason to defer one's gratification. 1997-2010. 92+

1957 Musigny- Roumier

This wine had a low fill, and unfortunately, this bottle was well past its prime. Notes of maderization and chocolate cover up a nose of plum, herbs, truffles and smoke. Fullish and resolved on the palate, I am sure that good bottles of this wine are still quite fine, and would merit a score of 88-91.

1993 Musigny- Joseph Drouhin

Drouhin is an incredibly underrated source for fine Musigny. One never witnesses the barrage of press acclaim for this wine that Jadot's top cuvees routinely receive, and yet the Drouhin wines towered over the Jadot wines at this Musigny free-for-all. The '93 Drouhin is a classic expression of the climat: the nose offers up scents of red cherry, plum, tobacco, herb tones, coffee, minerals, roses and toasty new oak. On the palate the wine is long, complex and very intensely-flavored, with a medium-full format, bright acids, and suave tannins on the long finish. This will be a long-lived, stunning Musigny. 2006-2040. 93.

1990 Musigny- Joseph Drouhin

Since the first moment I tasted (and purchased) this wine, I have had extremely high hopes for the wine. Throughout its evolution, it has continued to dazzle with its perfect balance, opulent fruit, and nascent complexity. The nose explodes from the glass with scents of cherry, quince, plum, mustard seed, game, coffee, minerals, and cedary, spicy wood. On the palate the wine is deep, rich, and packed with fruit, with a much broader spectrum of flavor than the '93 Drouhin, a huge core of fruit, and a long, seamless, moderately tannic finish. This is a wine rolling in the thick fruit of the 1990 vintage, but with the ineffable terroir of the vineyard clearly on display. A great, great wine that still deserves more time. 2002-2025. 95.

1989 Musigny- Joseph Drouhin

I remember tasting this wine early on and passing on it for my own cellar because I never thought it would develop the structure to age well. The flavors and bouquet were lovely, but the wine seemed pretty soft and wandering on the palate. At the time, I was selling the wine for $49.99, and a number of people took advantage of the price to salt away a case. I wish I had done the same! Five years later, the wine has developed beautifully: medium-full and beautifully structured on the palate, with modest tannins, fine acidity, and a long, complex, bouncy finish. The bouquet offers up complex, maturing notes of underbrush, cherry, quince, herbs, woodsmoke, sous bois, and cedar. This is a classic example of an intensely-flavored, complex and tangy middleweight that offers great depth without undue weight. C'est la vie! 2002-2020. 91.

1988 Musigny- Joseph Drouhin

I have been a firm admirer of many of Drouhin's 1988s (Griottes, Charmes, Vosne Petits Monts, amongst others), but had never had an opportunity to taste a pristine bottle of this wine. Not surprisingly, the wine is excellent. The nose wafts from the glass with scents of plum, cherry, roses, forest floor, mustard, minerals, smoke and cedary wood. Quite deep and complex on the palate, with secondary and tertiary flavors beginning to develop; soft tannins, bright acidity, and great length on the finish for this medium-full thoroughbred. As I have said before, those losing faith in their 1988 red Burgs will be sadly disappointed if they let any get away. These wines are a few years away from primetime. 2002-2030. 93.

1969 Musigny- Joseph Drouhin

One of the stars of the show! The '69 Drouhin was a fabulous bottle of wine caught at its apogee of maturity. With so many 1969s starting to show a bit of the infirmities of old age, it was a great pleasure to catch a wine in its prime. The stunning nose soared from the glass with scents of red cherry, quince, ginger biscuits, tobacco, iron, herbs, sous bois, and cedary wood. This is Musigny! Long, resolved, and very intensely-flavored on the palate, with a fine core of sweet fruit, perfect delineation and focus, soft, melting tannins, zesty acidity, and a long, complex, multi-dimensional finish. It is a pity that Burgundy does not age! Great stuff. 1997-2005. 94.

1993 Musigny- Louis Jadot

I know that Jadot has many fans, but I continue to have a hard time warming up to the house style here. Over the last year, I have had dozens of Jadots with notable pedigrees, and yet my overall impression is that the firm makes solid, well-balanced Pinot Noir that lacks both freshness and obvious terroir. They will age, but will they ever blossom? In this grand tasting of Musignys, only the 1988 Jadot held its own. All the other Jadot wines were clearly outclassed by the company, including a number of Drouhin Musignys! C'est la vie. In any event, the 1993 Musigny offers up a deep-pitched nose of black fruit, coffee, earth, and herb tones. On the palate the wine is medium-full, well-balanced, but strangely anonymous. Good pinot yes, but this is a disgrace for Musigny. Solid, workman-like, industrial juice. Sell. 2000-2015. 87.

1991 Musigny- Louis Jadot

This is a notable step down from the 1993! The nose is pretty, complex, and quite developed, with scents of earth, nutmeg, stemmy fruit, road tar, smoke and herbal notes. Lean, dry and stemmy on the palate. Avoid this pedestrian wine. 83.

1990 Musigny- Louis Jadot

Okay, the stunning, corpulent fruit of 1990- surely this cannot be blurred and obscured by the archaic vision of pinot at Chez Jadot, right? Thank goodness, there is plenty of fruit here: the nose is lovely, with scents of black fruit, herbs, underbrush, dried tarragon, earth and cedar. This is a wine of depth and intensity on the palate, with fine length and notable complexity on the finish. The tannins are suave and well-integrated. Am I excited? More relieved, really, but the wine does not show any Musigny terroir at all! Certainly this is a well-made, ageworthy wine, but Musigny from a legendary vintage? 2002-2020. 91.

1988 Musigny- Louis Jadot

Surprisingly, this is the strongest vintage of Jadot at the tasting! Here I can find some semblance of Musigny: a pretty, complex nose of cherry, strawberry, mustard seed, coffee, earth and cedar is really lovely. On the palate the wine is medium-full, but possessing of great intensity, poised, balanced, and with excellent grip on the finish. The finish retains a certain tannic edge that will require more cellaring, but this is a wine with plenty of fruit to carry the tannin. Perhaps, the 1990 and 1993 will show as much Musigny character with further bottle age, but there is no guarantee. In any event, this will make a fine bottle. 2002-2030. 92.

1986 Musigny- Frederic Mugnier (Chateau de Chambolle-Musigny)

This was a fine showing for a wine from this occasionally fine vintage: the nose is classic Moose, with scents of red cherry, quince, coffee, herbs, mustard, venison, earth and cedary wood. Fullish and beautifully etched on the palate, with a juicy core of fruit, bright acids, moderate tannins, and a long, complex finish. Freddy Mugnier is at the top of his game now, but his wines from this period, while not quite in the league with his current efforts, have equated themselves very well during their stay in the cellar. Good stuff. 1999-2015. 90.

The Whites:

1992 Musigny Blanc- Comte de Vogue

I have always thought that the small parcel of Musigny committed to chardonnay (so that a past Comtesse de Vogue could enjoy a bit of white wine now and then) was really a waste of pinot noir hallowed ground. Apparently the De Vogue domaine concurred, because the vines are being switched over to Pinot. After having these two wines over this marathon weekend, I wish they had kept a bit of chardonnay around! The '92 Musigny Blanc is a spectacular bottle, with a bouquet of beeswax, apples, pear, honey, toasted almonds, and vanillin oak. Deep, full, and quite clenched still on the palate, with zesty acidity, great structure and length, and almost a hint of tannin on the finish. This wine is very, very young, but also very, very good. One of the snappiest 1992s, this wine will improve with another year or two of cellaring. Great stuff. You never know what you've got 'til its gone... 1999-2010. 94.

1990 Musigny Blanc- Comte de Vogue

Even better than the superb 1992 Musigny Blanc, the 1990 explodes from the glass with scents of lemon, pear, almond paste, honey, toasted coconut, minerals, spring flowers and a deft touch of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, racy, and packed with fruit, with a rock-solid core, penetrating focus and balance, and absolutely stunning length. The few wine reviewers who erroneously complain about 1990's lack of concentration should try this wine! This is a great wine by any standards of definition, with years and years of life ahead of it. 2000-2012. 96.