2017 Domaine Georges Mugneret (Mugneret-Gibourg) Ruchottes-Chambertin

Domaine Mugneret-Gibourg in Vosne-Romanee, in Burgundy’s Cote-de-Nuits, has a history that sounds like a fairy tale with a happy ending. Founded in 1933 by the young married couple Andre Mugneret and Jeanne Gibourg, they passed it on to their only son, Georges Mugneret, who gave up his career as an ophthalmologist to run the domaine. He became one of Burgundy’s most respected winemakers and ambassadors. When he died in 1988 his wife Jacqueline and their two daughters, Marie-Christine and Marie-Andree, took over the business. Today the daughters and their mother run the 22.5-acre estate with help from Marie-Christine’s daughter Lucie, who in 2018 joined the management team. Lucie has another sister and two first cousins, both women, so there is every possibility that the estate will someday be passed on to another generation of female vignerons. The domaine includes Grand Cru parcels in Ruchottes-Chambertin, Clos Vougeot and Echezeaux. There are also Premier Cru parcels in Chambolle-Musigny and Nuits-St.-Georges. Clive Coates notes that “these wines are fullish, concentrated, very stylish and extremely well-balanced…This is a fine domaine.”

Ruchottes-Chambertin is an 8.1-acre Grand Cru vineyard in Gevrey-Chambertin. Located just north of Mazis-Chambertin, the soil is thin and rocky and the slope is steep. In fact the name Ruchottes comes from “rochers,” or rocks. The principal proprietors are Armand Rousseau, 2.5 acres; Mugneret-Gibourg, 1.6 acres; and Frederic Esmonin, 1.45 acres. Fewer than 1,000 cases of wine are produced annually from this vineyard.

This red wine is relatively light and can pair with a wide variety of foods. The grape prefers cooler climates and the wine is most often associated with Burgundy, Champagne and the U.S. west coast. Regional differences make it nearly as fickle as it is flexible.