Vosne - Malconsorts..... Musigny.....

11/99. Acquired from London, Dec-94 for $40.
My fourth bottle of this wonderful wine. Thomas-Moillard holding in this 1er Cru vineyard borders the famous La Tache and, according to Monsieur Henry Thomas, was actually bought from DRC by his grand-grand father at the beginning of this century.
COLOR: Medium-dark red with wide clear edges at the rim.
NOSE: Voluptuous fruit with zest and complexity worthy of a Grand Cru. Initially more "1990" [i.e deep bold ripe fruit with little or no 'Bourgogne Nose'] than "Burgundy". But quickly adding refined secondary aromas of dump undergrowth, raw meat and leather elements. Pure, intense and a pleasure to sniff at.
TASTE: Rich, sweetish ripe fruit with plenty of winyness around it. Deliciously tasty, fully harmonized with excellent grip and balanced acidity. Top quality Vosne Romanee with fine balance between power and delicacy and a lot of personal style.
LENGTH: Medium-long aftertaste that carries on the savory taste of every sip.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: Medium-full bodied, vigorous yet elegant. Mature and ripe fruit, good concentration, fine backbone, very well balanced. At its absolute peak now.
OVERALL: Superb! A wonderful example of a top-class Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru. Thomas-Moillard (as opposed to the negoc wines sold under the "Moillard" or "Moillard-Grivot" label) is IMHO one of the most underrated domaines in the Cote.
MARK: 18.5/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? Yes.

11/99. Bought at auction, Feb-98 for $165.
Jacques-Frederic Mugnier, or Freddy as he is better known, is the first in a long succession of Mugniers to take real interest in the family choice parcels in Chambolle-Musigny. For the last 15 years, low yields, avoidance of fertilizers and strict selection led to constant rise in the quality of the wines produced. His annual 4000 bottles of Musigny are now considered among the best of the lot.
COLOR: Extremely dark color for (B), hardly any clearing around the rim.
NOSE: This is something else! Unbelievably concentrated, with layer upon layer of penetrating aromas. High class and varied, from fruit to flowers to caramel and spices, with the most elegant 'Bourgogne Nose' around it.
TASTE: Wow! I have a strong urge to leave it at that one word!
I am really short for words at describing the level of complexity here. Mouthfilling to the extreme, a class of its own, breed and elegance of royal blood. Each drop of wine doing a tap-dance with the taste buds, enveloping every small sip of concentrated semi ripe fruit with gobs of winyness... [ok, ok Yak, we think they got the idea by now!]
LENGTH: Simply never ending. I am writing this two hours after we finished and I still have that wonderful aftertaste in my mouth.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: Full bodied [in Burgundy terms], the epitome of a boxer's punch in silk gloves. Thick texture, fantastic grip, multi-layered, multi-flavored, pure essence of a Grand Vin. Perfect balance and harmony.
OVERALL: Extraordinary!! Give it a few more years to totally blend and it will deserve a perfect score.
MARK: 19.5/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? Yes.

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Jacob "Yak" Shaya.