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Frédéric Mugnier said that 2021 was cold and rainy with a late harvest, yielding wines that are more classic in style than either 2020 or 2022.
Currently, there is greater variability among vintage dates than in the past. In 2021, the harvest began around 16 September, for 2022 it was more than two weeks earlier, and so the dates continue to vary from one vintage to another. For 2019, 2020, and 2021, yields are all about 25 hl/ha. Not much sorting was necessary, and as usual, all grapes were destemmed. Some malolactic fermentations were early, others were a bit later. Alcohols are 13 to 13.5%. The reds were tasted from tank while awaiting bottling.
The vintage is a great success here, and the further up the hierarchy, the greater the wines become, finishing with the amazing Musingy.
2021 Chambolle-Musigny
The village Chambolle is pure with red fruits. It is calm in the mouth and long. In sum, it is very classic. There are two vineyards here, the village-level portion of Combe d’ Orveaux and the premier cru Les Plantes. They are fermented separately, and normally assembled after about a year. (91-93)
2021 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Clos de Maréchale
Mugnier’s monopole Nuits-Clos de la Maréchale shows red and dark fruits, salinity, a silk texture, and purity. It is Nuits in a Chambolle style with greater density. (92-94)
2021 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Fuées
The Chambolle-Fuées is a full step up. The nose is mineral with Fuées earthiness. The mouth is ample, round, and silky with herbal (positive) spices, and red currant fruit. The wine is long in the mouth and a very true expression of Les Fuées. (94-96)
2021 Bonnes-Mares
The Bonnes-Mares is fabulous wine. The floral aromas are followed by a mouth that is less ample than that of the Fuées. The wine is silky, elegant, and penetrating, and overall it is a jewel of harmony and elegance. Mugnier noted that a lot of Bonnes-Mares was replanted in the 1980s and those vines are not fully mature. He estimates that the soils are roughly 60% white (terres blanches) and 40% red (terres rouges). (95-98)
2021 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses
Here the nose and mouth are full of Rainier red cherry fruit and the mouth is round, pure and long with layering and great finesse. (96-99)
2021 Musigny
Last of the reds, the Musigny shows more weight and presence than the Amoureuses, with dark fruits, density, and an overall spheric presentation. We discussed how Amoureuses is often seen as comparable to Musigny because of its adjacent location, but that really doesn’t hold. Mugnier noted that each has its own personality: Amoureuses is dynamic and linear, and Musigny is seamless and layered. (98-99)
2021 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Clos de Maréchale blanc
From bottle, the white Nuits-Clos de la Maréchale showed exceptionally well, but unfortunately, it is a very rare wine — only 900 bottles produced. The floral nose shows acacia and honeysuckle. The mouth is oily with moderate acidity and has lavender and lime blossom flavors. It is very long and displays fascinating delineation of flavors. 94/A