2005 Domaine Georges Mugneret Gibourg, Ruchottes-Chambertin Grand Cru, Ruchottes Chambertin 1x750ml

Vinous 93+

Good medium red; seemed to deepen in color with air. Claret-like aromas of smoky redcurrant, graphite and flowers. Silky on entry, then sweet, spicy and floral in the middle, with lovely lift for the vintage. Finishes with substantial tannins and a lingering perfume of rose petal. The Mugneret ’05s, not surprisingly, manage to avoid the superripe, almost southern Rhone-like aromas of some wines from this vintage. [Stephen Tanzer, 03/01/2008]

Robert Parker 94

From the remaining old vines in the Mugneret’s share of this small, magnificently-situated site, the 2005 Ruchottes-Chambertin smells of violet, black cherry, and displays deep, sweetly-fruited and marrowy richness and polish on the palate, with a hint of cherry stone bitterness and the pungency of cherry skin and ginger. It finishes with intensely sweet fruit, subtle meatiness and persistent florality, but clearly gives only a glimpse of the complexities one would hope it would develop over a 12-20 year rest in a cellar. There will be 125 cases of this wine, still in barrel when I tasted. The Mugneret sisters (I take the liberty of heading this report with what is about to become their official, unified domaine name) have rendered a 2005 collection illustrating the chiseled-precision, complexity, refinement and restraint for which their wines are famous. They were still trying to coax their Bourgogne through malo at the time of my visit incidentally, and it was too gaseous to properly assess (although it showed very promisingly pre-malo). A Peter Vezan Selection (various importers), Paris; fax 011 33 1 42 55 42 93. [David Schildknecht, 30/04/2007]