Visit to Domaine Mugnier – Tasting the 2022s

The very best of 2022? In my view, the vintage at Domaine Mugnier is close to perfect, given the year’s conditions.

Many writers will talk about the beautiful weather conditions, but in reality, 2022 was not a walk in the park. If there had not been a stroke of luck with a late rain, the wines would have looked different – very much so.

However, people in Burgundy tend to forget troubling details in a wish to market the next wonder vintage. True: There are no bad vintages anymore thanks to global warming. But “no bad vintages” does not mean they are great, or even more importantly, hedonistically gratifying. We want pleasure, and emotional wines.

The Mugnier ’22s are not bolts of lightning. They are, however, balanced and energetic wines that sort of remind me of the delightful 2002 vintage that graced Chambolle some 20 years back.

Neither are they the new 2019s. Rather, they’re vivid and relatively cool (Who remembers a cool vintage these days?), reminding you of Burgundies from before global warming.

The 2022s saved by a shower

The 2022s were not born for stardom, as the year’s hot conditions threatened to scupper the possibility of a balanced vintage. The conditions were dry, and water stress was starting. That said, the vines stayed remarkably fresh through the summer.

Then, as a blessing, the rain came, and revived the vintage from its thirst. A lot – but not all – was salvaged.

In some vineyards, and with good (and sometimes lucky) producers, acidity was maintained at levels reasonable enough to give interesting, hedonistic wines; vins d’émotion, if you like.

Mugnier found this balance in 2022 – an almost perfect balance. There is an amazing freshness bursting from his wines thanks to energy and ideally judged phenolic ripeness.

I am not completely sure where this energy comes from; it is certainly not an acid-driven vintage. But sufficiently low yields (most likely well below 40 hectolitres/hectare) can do wonders for mid-palate joy.

The Mugnier wines are transparent, and while it’s early, they seem to offer all the qualities I look for: enjoyability, a refined expression of their terroirs, and delicate complexity. They are wines of joy and pleasure, and first and foremost wines of hedonistic pleasure rather than the ultimate in detail and weight.

In other words, they are everything we like from Mugnier.

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The Chambolle-Musigny Village 2022 is the perfect appetizer to the rest of the line-up. It shows the virtues of the vintage, with the coolness and vivacity of the fruit hiding the year’s warmth. The nose is surprisingly fresh and vivacious, with a peony hint and some pomegranate shining through. On the palate there’s surprisingly good intensity – not all 2022 villages have this – and the energy is excellent. It has a lovely, fresh, and generous finish without getting flat, dense, or heavy.

(Drink from 2033) – Fine – (90p) – Tasted from cask 06/12/2023

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The Chambolle-Musigny Les Fuees is becoming a favourite. The vineyard has all the qualities I want in a vin d’émotion, and the ’22 here is a perfect example of this. The nose offers perfumed, sensual fruit. It has refined coolness, and good acidity for the vintage. There are delicate, filigreed red and dark berries over a fine mineral base. I adore this wine.

(Drink from 2035) – Very Fine – (93p) – Tasted from cask 06/12/2023 –

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