We drove up to the Mugneret-Gibourg domaine and were soon greeted by Marie-Andrée and then by her sister Marie-Christine, the two sisters who now make the wines at Mugneret-Gibourg (Dr. Georges Mugneret). They warmly greeted us with those wonderful each-cheek-kisses that the French do so happily and easily. I was traveling with several Burgundy nuts that have a long relationship of friendship with the Mugnerets. We were to have lunch at their winemaking facility and taste current wines and an Echezeaux vertical, most of the older wines provided by my friends.
Dr. Georges Mugneret, an ophthalmologist who inherited vines from his father who had married a Gibourg, augmented his vinous holdings over the decades. Thus wines from vines bought by Dr. G. Mugneret are the G. Mugneret bottlings and the inherited wines are the Mugneret-Gibourg ones, but it’s all the same estate. There are holdings in three grand cru vineyards–Ruchottes, Clos Vougeot, and Echezeaux. There are various Vosne, Gevrey, Chambolle and Nuits bottlings at different levels including premier cru, village and simple Bourgogne, the latter a true value. The two sisters took over winemaking after the death of their father in 1988, having completed oenology degrees and worked under their father. The sisters have taken a more active management in viticulture over the past few years, but much of their vines are tended in a metayage arrangement that dates back many decades. Green harvests have been conducted in recent vintages, they have switched to fermentation with indigenous yeasts, have experimented with and abandoned battonage. Pre-fermentation maceration is practiced and the wines are fermented at about 30 degrees Celsius for two to three weeks. The Clos Vougeot parcel is near the chateau at the top of the hill, a favored location in this huge grand cru vineyard and the Ruchottes parcel is considered to be one of the best in that vineyard. The wines are gorgeous examples of their terroir, built to last but approachable young, marked by finesse and complexity, very aromatic and multi-layered. This is one of the great domaines in Burgundy.
We first toured the cellar and tasted the 03s from barrel; they are to be bottled probably in January. They are pleased with the vintage overall, as are many of the Burgundy vignerons, as the wines have evidenced increased acidity and structure on the palate during the elevage and aren’t overripe or blowsy. I found them to be great successes for the vintage, but it’s a vintage I won’t be seeking out in great number, unlike 01 and 02. Yields, as at many domaines, were quite low with 30-50% less wine than usual. During the cellar tour, we were served various pastries and breads baked by the two sisters and their elderly mother Jacqueline.
Then it was up to the dining room, where a classic Burgundian lunch was prepared. Ham and cheese sandwiches, jambon persille (ham w/parsley), various cold cuts, a homemade quiche, salad and other such courses were served as we sat at a huge table in a family-style meal. At the head of the table was the elderly matriarch Jacqueline, who spoke only French. Next to her were the two young daughters of Marie-Andrée, back from school for the traditional 2 hour midday break. They were both learning English and shyly enjoyed practicing their beginning lessons on us. Both of the sisters spoke excellent English and were very patient with my butchery of their beautiful French language. The husbands of the two winemakers were there as well, and about 6 of us wine lovers. We were served a blinded vertical of Echezeaux, all unlabelled wines taken from the library stocks. Then it was on to the older wines which had been brought to the domaine a few months ago by my friends—and included the 52, 53, 71 and other great vintages of Mugneret Echezeaux. Grandmother had tears in her eyes as she recounted the tribulations of harvest of the various old vintages—times weren’t always easy in Burgundy.
Albums of pictures of the winemaking ancestors were brought out and pictures were taken of the bottles next to these old photos, honoring these deceased winemakers whose art we were drinking. Neither of the sisters had significant experience with several of these older vintages, so it was quite moving for them—and their children—to taste the wines of their ancestors. Many of the older generation winemakers had to sell all of their produce to survive, so library collections are unusual at the smaller domaines. Each of Marie-Andrée’s daughters was given a sip of each wine and would comment on them as “good.” There was interesting bottle variation in the two 71s; the one with the more ullage was surprisingly sweeter and fresher, with less sousbois than the other, but each was superb. (At another event, I tasted yet another bottle of the 71 Echezeaux—amazing!)
We sat there for hours discussing winemaking, family, and the history of the domaine, as we lingered over several artisan cheeses served before dessert, continuing to sip the various wines. The daughters had us show on a world map where each of us came from and it was fascinating to see how residents of many different states and even countries had converged on this little domaine to share the love of Burgundy wine. After a few hours, hugs were exchanged, cheeks were re-kissed, promises were made of future visits, and we left, full of memories of these wonderful people who make such incredible wine.