2008 Vosne Romanee

The 2008 Vosne-Romanee opens with a huge, deep bouquet. It is a surprisingly rich, textured wine at this level, with gorgeous harmony and plenty of textured fruit that flows through to the weightless finish. This is a fabulous villages. The Vosne-Romanee is a blend of three parcels. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2023. This is an impressive set of wines from sisters Marie-Andree and Marie-Christine Mugneret. I can’t think of too many estates that did so well in both 2008 and 2009. Beginning with the 2009 vintage, the estate has simplified their name to Domaine Georges Mugneret-Gibourg, which should eliminate some of the confusion of past years. The 2009 harvest began on September 12. The fruit was 100% destemmed. Marie-Andree Mugneret told me she was concerned about over-extracting given the inherent richness in the fruit, so she opted for a gentle approach to vinification. Cuvaison ranged from 15-20 days. After pressing the wines were moved into oak, where they saw one racking just after the malos. New oak ranged from 10% for the Bourgogne, 25% for the Vosne-Romanee, 40% for the Chaignots, 45% for the Feusselottes and 70% for the Grand Crus, from four different coopers. During the time of my visit the wines were being moved into steel, where they would remain for three months prior to bottling. Mugneret planned to bottle with no fining or filtration. Readers should also pay close attention to the estate’s 2008s, which are simply brilliant. The 2008 harvest started on the 22nd of September. Some of the malos took as long as a year to finish. Importers: Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, NY; tel (516) 677-9300, a Peter Vezan Selection (various importers), Paris; fax 011 33 1 42 55 42 93

Bright medium red. Redcurrant, flowers, spices, orange zest and white pepper on the scented nose. Not a fleshy style but juicy and nicely delineated, with the orange note providing inner-palate lift. Still tight but finishes with nice subtle length. The energy of this excellent village wine really wakes up the palate. Marie-Christine Mugneret noted that the estate's 2008s began with very high levels of malic acidity and finished with very low pHs in the 3.25 to 3.33 range. The 2009s will be pleasurable young, she went on, but the 2008s will be to drink later.

Good bright, deep red. Vibrant aromas of cherry, pepper, orange peel and rose petal. Pungent, sappy and nerveux, with the piquant orange peel note carrying through in the mouth. Finishes minerally, pure and persistent, with lovely grip.