TN: Burgundy-Themed "European Lunch" (Mongeard-Mugneret and NSGs)

BURGUNDY-THEMED “EUROPEAN LUNCH” (MONGEARD-MUGNERET AND NSGS) - Zibbibo Restaurant, Palo Alto, California (6/26/2009)

This was only my second opportunity to join with Jayaram and company for a Friday lunch, and the first that was, as these lunches usually are, Burgundy oriented. (Last time we focused on some wonderful, '97 vintage, Italian wines.) Since I work well south of these lunches, it’s often been hard to get there in time. Last week, though, I was particulary incentivized to be there, both due to the Burg theme, and because I spent a miserable preceding week engaged in intense Union negotiations, which I was very much in need of a break from. This time the themes ended up being Mongeard-Mugneret (flight 2) and mature Nuits-St.-Georges (3rd blind flight). All in all, we had some tasty wines, and I was gratified for the opportunity to load up on some Burgundian versions of Pinot, before losing myself in the sea of Cali Pinot coming with Pinot Days.

White Flight

Gosh, these whites were remarkably ill-fated. The only one that wasn’t somehow afflicted by premox or TCA was the '02 Jadot Meursault, which may not have been as good as it tasted that afternoon, after 3 other potentially good Chard-based French whites had “crapped out.”

Mongeard-Mugneret Flight

  • 2002 Mongeard-Mugneret Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Les Narbantons - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru
    Medium dark cherry red color with pale meniscus; lovely roses, sous bois nose; tasty framboise, sous bois, roses and tangy red fruit palate; medium-plus finish 92+ pts. (92 pts.)
  • 2002 Mongeard-Mugneret Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Petits Monts - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru
    Medium bricking red color; brett, mature tart cherry and sous bois nose; touch of brett on the palate, maturing tart red fruit, sous bois, mineral palate with depth; medium finish (92 pts.)
  • 2002 Mongeard-Mugneret Vougeot 1er Cru Les Cras - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vougeot 1er Cru
    Medium red color with pale meniscus; TCA on nose; cherry palate, lacking complexity, TCA affected; short-medium finish NR (flawed)
  • 2001 Mongeard-Mugneret Echezeaux - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Echezeaux Grand Cru
    Medium red color with pale meniscus; lovely roses, delicate strawberry, sous bois and mineral nose; young yet, lovely tart red fruit, strawberry, sous bois, mineral palate with depth, and a chlorine note; medium-plus finish 93+ pts. (93 pts.)
  • 1998 Mongeard-Mugneret Clos Vougeot - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
    Light medium bricking red color with clear meniscus; nice mature raspberry, strawberry, sous bois and mineral nose; nice mature red fruit, ripe framboise core, mineral, roses and iron palate; medium finish 93+ pts. (93 pts.)

Nuits St. Georges Flight

Sweet Flight


Posted from CellarTracker

Great notes Richard. I’m a huge fan of H. Gouges NSGs.

Colin Deleger is a poster child for premox, especially in 99. Of the 9 bottles I’ve opened, ONE is almost drinkable.

Thanks for the notes.
I was surprised to the word “mature” attached to NSG wines of that age, particularly Gouges and Faiveley. The ones I have had from the late 1990s always seem to be remarkably youthful.