Musigny Grand Cru

Pairs beautifully with grilled salmon, roasted meats and creamy cheeses.

This is one of the greatest terroirs in the Côte de Nuits. The vineyard is located on a fault overlooking the Clos Vougeot and bordering on the Combe d'Orveau. Le Musigny has south-east facing sun exposure and a unique, sunny microclimate. The thin, light soil has a high proportion of stones that not only guarantee good drainage, but also store heat in the daytime and release it at night. The grapes are always very ripe and produce a velvety nectar with lovely floral (violet) aromas and an impressively long aftertaste.

The wine was aged entirely in oak barrels for 20 months.

The grapes were handpicked into small crates, then sorted and totally destemmed. The wine stayed on the skins for 20 days in temperature-controlled open oak vats. Pigeage (punching down the cap) was done twice a day during alcoholic fermentation.

For years Domaine Jacques Prieur was in a slow and seemingly terminal decline with quantity rather than quality being the byword. The guardian angel arrived in the form of Mercurey-based négociants Antonin Rodet in the late 1980s. Rodet's oenologist Nadine Gublin has been the driving force behind the renaissance in quality which now rivals the very finest producers on the Côte. The Domaine is today owned 70% by the Labruyère family and 30% by the Prieurs.The roots of the revival lie in the vineyards where fewer pesticides and herbicides are being used and come harvest time there is now a far more rigid selection of the best fruit. The results are a revelation. They have an exceptional range of grand cru vineyards – including the grandest of the grand such as Montrachet Musigny and Chambertin. But perhaps because the domaine’s holdings are dispersed up and down the Côte that it has not enjoyed the first rate reputation that one might have expected. The wines are certainly good but perhaps just short of the flair which would place them in the very top division. There is a conscious decision to pick relatively late and make flamboyantly full-bodied wines.