2014 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogue, Musigny Grand Cru, Cuvee Vieilles Vignes 3x75cl

Neal Martin 91

The 2014 Musigny Vieilles Vignes Grand Cru is a vintage I have not tasted for some time. Quite rustic on the nose, it offers red fruit, juniper berries, leather and forest floor scents that take time to cohere. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, austere like so many of the Côte de Nuits reds, and a slightly dry finish. [Neal Martin, 06/06/2024]

Anticipated maturity: 2025-2038

Vinous 95+

Bright, dark red Knockout nose offers most of the Musigny food groups: raspberry, cherry, earth, wild herbs, flowers and minerals, plus a leathery nuance Pungent and extremely intense but utterly weightless owing to its near-perfect balance of sweetness and juiciness Best today on the explosive, building back end, which offers a powerfully chewy, sappy impression but no rough edges Winemaker François Millet suggests waiting at least 10 to 15 years [Stephen Tanzer, 03/01/2017]

Anticipated maturity: 2026-2039

Wine Advocate 94-96

The 2014 Musigny Vieilles Vignes Grand Cru had to be warmed up in my warm hands, since the wine had closed down a little in recent days. It has a very composed and quite dense bouquet with wild strawberry and blueberry scents, more opulence coming through with time, red rose. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, a subtle marine influence flowing under the surface of red cherry and wild strawberry notes, an almost confit-like finish that feels dense and with plenty of substance. This is a sophisticated, almost saturnine Musigny — a Pandora’s Box of secrets that will only be revealed with age. I arrived in Chambolle-Musigny and pulled into the large courtyard at de Vogüé in the middle of a torrential downpour, though that did not dampen my anticipation tasting their 2014s and 2013s with the ever-philosophical François Millet. “The winter was very mild, followed by an early bud burst and flowering. We thought we would pick very early. The summer was bad, mild and rainy, but the advantage was that it slowed down the advance [of the growing cycle] and preserved the freshness of the vintage. September was easier with some showers. We picked on September 13 with the young vines in Musigny.” “The vintage is quite welcoming,” he continued. “I find a lot of compromises: medium freshness, not too much, just enough. The skin ripeness is medium, which gives you a possibility to play with red and black fruit that enlarge the aromatic spectrum. I would compare it to springtime, when air is beginning to warm up and the land is still cold, a subtle contrast between the reminiscence of the winter and the start of springtime. I find there is a subtlety with depth. There is a romantic side of the vintage connected with the warm spring. We had the same climatic conditions in 2007 and 2011. The heat of the vintage comes from the springtime. 2014 can be quite harsh if forced. The subtlety of the sensuous contrast between sweetness and freshness can be quickly damaged if it is forced or over-extracted. The vintage was unique in terms of weather conditions — it was upside down in some ways. We had a hailstorm on June 28 and we lost 10% to 20%, more in Musigny than other vineyards.” This is always a fascinating tasting. For me, the Chambolle-Musigny Amoureuses was the star of the show, at least at this early juncture, actually more expressive than the linear and surprisingly tertiary Bonnes-Mares. The Musigny Vieilles Vignes was actually more difficult to read, but I think there is a great wine here, one intent on coveting its virtues for now, only revealing them for those with the wherewithal to wait a decade. As I have mentioned in previous reports, I used to find the winemaking too conspicuous at de Vogüé, but in recent vintages I have found the terroirs more articulated, thereby differentiating the cuvées to a greater degree. [Neal Martin, 28/09/2017]

Anticipated maturity: 2020-2050

Burghound 93-96

While highly complex this is cool to the point of only grudgingly revealing a strikingly layered combination of violets, rose petals, sandalwood, anise, clove, plum and dark currant scents. This is a big and overtly muscular wine with broad-shouldered and admirably concentrated flavors yet for all of the impressive size, weight and volume, the massively long finish is serene, even Zen-like. 2014 is a relatively seductive and forward vintage for this storied wine that I appreciate that calling a wine “forward” when it will likely need 20 years to fully mature is a relative concept! [Allen Meadows, 15/01/2016]