2012 Domaine Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Musigny Grand Cru

The 2012 Musigny opens with the most exquisite, captivating aromatics imaginable. A seemingly eternal wine with no beginning and no end, the Musigny is a wine that calls for serious introspection as it constantly changes in the glass. Wild flowers of all sorts meld into exquisite, finely-sculpted fruit all with the support of silky tannins that only add to the wine's total sense of refinement. The finish is long, seamless and haunting. There isn't too much more to say, except that the Mugnier's 2012 Musigny is one of the wines of the year.

Full, bright red. Very ripe but brooding aromas of dark raspberry, blackberry, flint, flowers and smoky underbrush. Less thick and silky today than the showier Amoureuses but boasts extraordinary palate coverage and energy to its sharply delineated flavors of dark berries, dried herbs, crushed stone and orange peel. The extract-rich finish leaves the palate quivering, but this wine will need a long time to approach peak drinkability.

Bright, dark red. Powerful, brooding aromas of crushed blackberry, violet and menthol, plus a suggestion of exotic flowers. Fleshy, tactile and solid, conveying a strong impression of dusty extract, but juicy too, showing captivating floral lift to the fleshy dark berry flavors. Extremely backward today. The very long, palate-dusting finish displays outstanding energy for such a thick, chewy wine. A classic 2012.