Domaine Comte Georges de Vogue : Musigny Grand cru "Vieilles Vignes" 2015

Subtle cherry nose with black fruits. More brooding and restrained than Bonnes Mares, becoming more heady with aeration. Sleek attack, again less forthright than Bonnes Mares, but with an irresistible, velvety character that overrides the firm tannins. Fresh acidity enlivens the finish, which is polished, spicy, and very long. There's real grandeur which can only amplify with time.

Bright, dark ruby-red. Wonderfully scented, laid-back aromas of black raspberry, menthol and pungent stony minerality. Dense, sweet and very pure, with its fruit flavors of cassis sorbet and pomegranate accented by Oriental spices and minerals. This spreads out magically to saturate the palate without leaving any impression of weight. This is surprisingly approachable today owing to its opulence and sweetness but surely it will shut down in bottle at some point. The yield here was just 20 hectoliters per hectare in 2015, and winemaker François Millet told me he "was cautious not to push this wine because there was so little juice in the grapes." This wine was actually quite tight when I first sampled it from barrel in November of 2016 but today it's downright velvety and neither overripe nor excessively tannic.

Notes of peppery rose, raspberry and pomegranate in Musigny’s enveloping, vibrant and racy palate. A mineral, aniseed and menthol backbone lends it admirable freshness, allowing it to completely escape the vintage’s sunny character.