French TNs: Dujac, Voge, Mugnier

A few bottles I opened this week after weeklong hiatus from wine …

Domaine Dujac, Morey St. Denis rouge, 2016
A precocious wine that is utterly charming right now. Very Morey-ish, with dark fruits, soil and savory herb notes. Nice spice and stems. Nothing tight or heavy here. It’s open-knit and delicious but there’s some grip/structure lurking. A very good village wine that has me optimistic about the vintage. No frostiness here!
Alain Voge, St. Joseph, Les Vinsonnes, 2013
Like the Dujac, this wine overdelivers for its relatively lowly status. It’s also rarin’ to go, with clean blackberry fruit and brambly intrigue. Peppery aromas. It’s silky in the mouth, with cool balance. A very honest wine that seems eager to please. It’s fully fleshed, without any tannic bite or reserve. But it’s pleasingly compact. It has a quiet but persistent finish. For $25, this has great N Rhone typicity and QPR.
Mugnier, NSG Clos de Marechale, 1er cru, 2005
Failure to launch here. Might have been slightly corked? Muted nose of dark cherry and soil. Palate is a bit clipped, with acid overtaking the fruit. Some brown sugar on finish. Feels tired to me.

Thanks for the notes Matt. Impatient you are with the 2016 I see.

I recently had a couple of the '16 Dujac MSDs too. I’m usually quite disciplined about holding off straight after delivery, but decided one was worth a try. It was so good I had to open a second . Your note is spot on.

Well, I do need something to drink while waiting for my '17s come in!

The crew at Dujac knocked it out of the park in 2016.