Jacques-Frederic Mugnier, Musigny Grand Cru 2013

Bright, dark red. Distinctly cooler and more medicinal on the nose than the Amoureuses. Spicier and tighter on the palate, showing some exhilarating high tones and a hint of medicinal herbs but less of the premier cru's early sweetness and sex appeal. In a more muscular style, yet it conveys an impression of weightlessness in spite of its outstanding density. More salty and soil-inflected on the finish than the Amoureuses, with a powerful tannic spine that should carry it for a long time. This could hardly be more different than the Amoureuses today.

Released only late last year, Mugnier's 2013 Musigny Grand Cru is still far from true maturity, but it has at least begun a graceful evolution, unwinding in the glass with scents of exotic spices, red berries, orange rind, rose petals, potpourri and sweet soil tones. Full-bodied, ample and velvety, with powdery, melting tannins and lively acids, the cool, late harvest has imparted a cool, crystalline purity to its deep core of fruit. Long and sapid, ideally one would forget it for another decade to see it at the beginning of what will be a long plateau of maturity.