Musigny Vieilles Vignes 2008 75cl

Iris, peony, heliotrope, black tea, ginseng, red raspberry, pomegranate, chalk dust, and striking if illusive mineral savor suggestive of lobster shell reduction team up for a de Vogue 2008 Musigny Vieilles Vignes of dizzying aromatic complexity as well as formidable depth and intrigue. In winemaker Francois Millet’s terms, “we have here both the subjective (i.e. metaphorical) minerality, and the proper minerality, meaning the powdery trace of limestone.” Whether or not you accept the latter claim, it’s pretty hard to argue with the riveting, kaleidoscopic complexity of this finely-tannic, at once silken and refreshing, intensely-fruited, floral, and – yes – “mineral” Musigny. I would expect this to be worth following for 15 or more years. Incidentally, even at this top end of their line-up and with a wine of such strong personality, the team here employed only one-third new barrels, just as they did for their other 2008s. Francois Millet – always keen to pinpoint the expression of fruit he finds in each vintage – characterizes that of 2008 as “syrup-like,” and of 2007 as “candied.” I am skeptical that these metaphors can be generalized, but under no circumstances should “syrup-like” be taken as an attempt to deny the brightness or transparency displayed by so many of the best 2008s, including these. “To have been picked late” – in this instance, starting September 27 – “to have been picked cold, and to have fermented very slowly to created the largest amount of glycerol to combine with the freshness of the vintage,” opines Millet, constitutes a significant part of the 2008s’ secret, seduction, even mystery. “Late malo” – here completed in August – he adds, “was also good, so that the vintage could have a true childhood, and slowly, surely build itself. If we had had a southern wind when the weather changed, maybe we would have lost that identity of 2008. But by there being a northern wind, the evolution was continued” i.e. in a constant, cool trajectory. Not to short-change it, the 2007 vintage collection here is one of those few capable of standing direct comparison to its immediate successor – or indeed to nearly any other vintage from this address.