Domaine Comte Georges de Vogue Musigny 2020 (6x 750mL), France.

Every estate in Burgundy yearns to have grands crus parcels in its portfolio. Some are quite richly endowed: Rousseau, Damoy, Trapet and Rossignol- Trapet (all in Gevrey-Chambertin); Clos de Tart and Clos des Lambrays (Morey-St-Denis); as well as Bonneau du Martray and Louis Latour (both in Corton). Domaine de la Romanée-Conti is unique in that it possesses nothing but grands crus.

Almost as spectacular is the parcel of Musigny owned by Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé – 7.2 hectares (ha), amounting to 70% of the entire grand cru. Given that many Burgundy aficionados consider Musigny to be the finest vineyard of them all, that’s a holding to die for. In addition, the estate is the largest owner within another grand cru, Bonnes-Mares.

Unlike many estates in Burgundy, de Vogüé has ancient architectural and viticultural origins, tracing its beginnings to the 15th century with ownership passing through 20 generations to the present proprietors. In 1925 it was inherited by Comte Georges de Vogüé, who ran the domaine for 52 years, and is now owned by his granddaughters, Claire de Causans and Marie de Ladoucette.

The estate went through a bad patch from the 1960s until the mid-1980s. The count was absent much of the time and entrusted the property to an estate manager, who allowed quality to slide. Then, in 1986, François Millet was hired as technical director, and 10 years later the aptly named Eric Bourgogne was taken on as vineyard manager – both of them are still in place. The turnaround was swift, and the 1990 Musigny was one of the great vines of that vintage, distilling, as do all great vintages from this site, exquisite perfume, silky textures, intensity of flavour, discreet but pronounced tannins and incredible persistence. Millet has always adopted a perfectionist’s approach, thus he considers the 1.8ha of vines under 25 years old to be unworthy of inclusion in the Musigny bottling; their production is bottled as Chambolle Premier Cru. ‘Why 25 years?’ says Millet, anticipating the question.

‘Because that’s how long it takes for the vines to express the greatness of the terroir. Young vines remain young vines, however fine the grapes may be. They’re like a gifted teenager, brilliant, but lacking in experience. It’s a question of complexity. The Chambolle Premier Cru is like Musigny in short trousers.’