Domaine Jacques-Frederic Mugnier 2017/18 Nuits-St.-Georges "Clos de la Marechale" 1er Cru 750ml
[2017] A markedly earthy nose features notes of various dark berries and hints of game and similar green tea nuances. There is both good detail and a lovely underlying tension to the middle weight flavors that are not quite as refined but offer a bit more complexity on the lingering finish where the intensity and power really build from the mid-palate. This delicious effort should amply repay mid-term cellaring.
Score: 91 points -- Allen Meadows, Burghound.com, 2020
[2018] A brooding, slightly riper and more deeply pitched nose features notes of poached plum, cassis and plenty of spice and floral nuances and in particular violet. There is very good punch to the delicious and suave medium-bodied flavors that exude more evident minerality on the firm, serious and youthfully austere finish. This is perhaps not quite as refined as it usually is but the complexity and persistence are excellent and overall, this is particularly impressive given the hailstorms of 2018.
Score: 91 points -- Allen Meadows, Burghound.com, 2021
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At the beginning of the 20th century, the estate founded in 1863 by Frédéric MUGNIER, a liquor-maker in Dijon, included nearly twenty hectares of the best vineyards spread over Chambolle-Musigny and Nuits-Saint-Georges. In 1950, following the economic crisis of the 1930s and the world war, Jacques-Frédéric MUGNIER, great-grandson of the first Frédéric, chose to sell the liquor business, and lease the vineyard out to a negociant in Nuits-saint-Georges. The contract on the Chambolle vineyard ended in 1978 and 6 years later Frédéric MUGNIER, son of Jacques-Frédéric, assumed full responsibility for the family estate. The most recent addition to the estate was the return of Clos de la Marechale to the domaine in 2004, changing dramatically its size and allowing a new and better organization. Our approach to both viticulture and wine-making is aimed at preserving in the wines the purest expression of Nature with minimal interference from technological practices. We have a pragmatic approach to viticulture and we favour hand work and preventive protection methods in the vineyard. The purpose is not to eradicate pests and diseases but to preserve or restore a rich and active ecosystem. With healthy and ripe grapes grown on the greatest terroirs, wine-making only has to be kept simple and respectful.