A regal, majestic Burgundy, the 2012 Musigny is totally alive in the glass. Sweet, perfumed aromatics meld into red berries, mint and anise and wild flowers in an impeccable, beautifully layered wine. The 2012 will naturally take a number of years to peak, but it is absolutely stunning even at this early stage. I especially like the sense of energy here. What an inviting and utterly irresistible wine this is. The 2012 was vinified with 100% whole clusters.

(100% vendange entier; one of three barrels is new): Bright dark red. Knockout nose shows great spicy lift to the aromas of ripe raspberry, smoke, crushed rock, mocha and pepper. Thick in the mouth but with uncanny energy and definition delivering outstanding verve and power to the dense, sappy flavors of red and darker fruits, pungent blood orange, minerals and spices. This wonderfully complex wine is nearly painful today. Really stains the palate with fruits, minerals and spices on the gripping, very long finish. Delivers the terroir specificity of this great site in spades.

There is a new approach to the 2012 Musigny Grand Cru, in which the domaine owns 0.21 hectare planted in 1970 and 1989. Hitherto matured in new oak, only one barrel is new out of the three this year, which is 100% whole cluster. It has an expressive bouquet with attractive floral scents, dark cherries, bergamot and tealeaf scents – all very complex. The palate is fresh and vibrant with fine tannins on the entry, crisp acidity and a mineral-rich finish. This is excellent and prudent approach to the new oak pays dividends. Domaine de la Vougeraie was founded in 1998 when the domaines of Claudine Deschamps, Pierre Ponnelle, Louis Voilland and L’Heritier-Guyot were merged. I remember it well because at the time I was exporting L’Heritier-Guyot’s wines to Japan (to be frank, they were quite ordinary back then.) The man behind the venture was Jean-Claude Boisset, whose own considerable holdings meant that Domaine de la Vougeraie became a significant player in the Cote d’Or, with 37 hectares of prime vineyard including seven grand crus to their name. I have to be honest and say that like many others, I liked the first few vintages of their wine, but found them a little predictable and seemed to struggle for charm and personality. Perhaps that was a reflection of former winemaker Pascal Marchand applying the practices he had learned at Comte Armand: a lot of new oak with 100% de-stemmed fruit – not really my bag. When he departed for pastures new, incoming winemaker Pierre Vincent seemed to apply a gentler touch. The new oak is still part of the wines’ character, but there is certainly a more considered approach, plus he is more open to using whole cluster fruit. Managing such an array of wines with a relatively small team cannot be easy in challenging vintages such as 2012, or for that matter 2013. Pierre told me that his average yields were 22 hectoliters per hectare, though for the grand crus, they were down to 17 hectoliters per hectare. Importer: Boisset Family Estates, St. Helena, CA; tel. (800) 878-1123