Gérard Mugneret Chambolle Musigny 1er cru Les Charmes 2020

The 2020 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Charmes is lovely unwinding in the glass with aromas of rich red berry fruit warm spices orange rind and sweet soil tones. Medium to full-bodied lively and incisive with fine powdery tannins and a mineral finish it's firm and tightly wound but shows plenty of promise. As I wrote last year the unassuming but ambitious Pascal Mugneret is making terrific wines at Domaine Gérard Mugneret. Widely respected for his work in the vineyards Mugneret stopped using all synthetic treatments a decade ago and employs some biodynamic preparations and works according to the lunar calendar. His approach to working the soils is thoughtful recognizing the need to control competition but also appreciating that excessive cultivation kills soil microflora. Canopies are trimmed by hand and dead vines uprooted manually to avoid the soil compaction caused by performing this laborious task by tractor. In the winery he began using whole clusters in the 2012 vintage and didn't destem at all in 2020 as in 2019. Sulfur is used sparingly with none added during cuvaison and élevage is in barrels from coopers including Rousseau and François Frères. All this is rejuvenating a domaine with a long history the first commercial bottlings dating back to the 1930s when the label was Mugneret-Pasquier. And given the quality of the wines that result?described in the accompanying tasting notes?it's surprising that they're not better known. In today's Burgundy market such anomalies don't last long so readers who aren't following this address are encouraged to acquaint themselves with it in short order.

93 Points

- Wine Advocate