Tasting the magical 2005 Burgundies for the first time out of barrel in November of 2006, the two wines that stood at my own personal hierarchy at that time were Romanée-Conti and the Mugnier Musigny. I was fully prepared for this wine to be hermetically sealed at this point in time, but it was not the case and this great young wine showed beautifully. The bouquet soars from the glass in a brilliant mélange of red and black cherries, blood orange, mustard seed, a great base of iron soil tones, woodsmoke, violets and raw cocoa. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and very, very pure, with a rock solid core of fruit, brilliant soil inflection, ripe tannins, tangy acids and remarkable grip and purity on the endless finish. This is very, very young, and very, very good. (Drink between 2025-2100). - JG
JG99November 2009
Candor forces me to admit that mere words won't begin to do a wine like this justice so I will simply state that the Mugnier Musigny is a compelling candidate for wine of the vintage honors, which is saying something significant in such a gifted vintage like 2005. An incredibly complex and kaleidoscopic nose features a dazzling array of aromas, particularly violet and rose petal nuanced with anise, clove and cinnamon that merges seamlessly into sweet, pure and ultra refined full-bodied flavors that are harmonious and deep, with a driving tension that forces everything into striking relief yet the palate impression is pure velvet on the immensely long finish. Moreover, it delivers one of my favorite aspects of great burgundy, which is power without weight but in this case, the '05 Musigny is an enormously powerful wine but not especially weighty. In short, this is flat out brilliant and is a wine that you will definitely want in your cellar. - BH
BH99January 2008