Created in 1863, this is an extraordinary family estate run from the Château de Chambolle-Musigny. This was initially a 4-hectare Chambolle domaine but since Frédéric took back the family’s old Nuits St-Georges 1er Cru Clos de la Maréchale Monopole from Faiveley in 2004, the Domaine has increased to 13 hectares. The aim is to produce wines that are each representative of their respective terroir and vintage, while at the same time showcasing their individualities. These are organic wines of harmony and sincerity, achieved by eliminating weed-killers and industrial fertilizers in the vineyard and avoiding all cellar processes that can traumatize the fruit. These are sensual, stylish Burgundies of great finesse.
Seated at the base of the northern half of Burgundy's Côte d’Or, Nuits-St-Georges is a busy, market-driven town and home to many of Burgundy’s négociants. After Beane it is also the largest town in the Côte d’Or, and contributes "nuits" to the name of Côte de Nuits (i.e., the northern half of the Côte d’Or). The appellation itself is divided into two parts, in the north it directly borders Vosne-Romanée and at the southern end is the commune of Prémeaux.
John Gilman tasting notes on 2004 Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Clos de la Marechale: "The inaugural vintage of the Mugnier Clos de la Maréchale is evolving beautifully and will be a lovely bottle with another five years or so of bottle age. The nose is now quite classic and shows just the faintest touch of herbacité, but is essentially a clean and refined blend of black cherries, dark berries, a touch of peppercorn, espresso, woodsmoke and a fine base of complex soil tones. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and still quite reserved on the attack, with lovely mid-palate depth, excellent balance, a bit or ripe tannin to resolve and fine length and grip on the soil-driven finish. Today the Clos de la Maréchale ’04 closes with just a touch of pepperiness, but I have to believe that this will continue to fade as the wine gets more bottle age."
