2006 Jacques-Frederic Mugnier, Musigny Grand Cru

Deep red with ruby tones. Flamboyantly ripe aromas of black fruits, blood orange, peony and espresso. Huge yet weightless, saturating every square millimeter of the mouth with very ripe dark fruits, minerals and spices. This plush, sweet, extremely unevolved wine is almost monolithic today but the explosive, palate-staining finish suggests that it has a slow and glorious evolution ahead of it. The fruit here was picked with potential alcohol of 13.7%, the same as in 2005.

Although the nose has tobacco and herbal elements, the wine is a bit of a monolith in the mouth, somewhat clumsy and one dimensional. It’s certainly ripe, giving a mouthful of dark fruit, but lacks complexity. The tannins are dry and there is more structure here than pleasure. Strangely, despite a lot of rain that year, the wine is very dark—something which Mugnier says developed during elevage. Maybe not representative?

Vibrant crimson. Real energy and concentration here and, unusually for all these 2006s, you have to seek inside for more. Lots of bright cherry fruit. Very appetising. Really soars. For the first time in this tasting, on the third day, I am tempted to swallow! Very dense yet not bludgeoning. Just a bit tough on the end at the moment, but real vigour. (JR)