2008 Musigny

The Leroy 2008 Musigny is firm in texture and initially relatively reticent in aroma. Roasted red meat richness and decadently game-like elements put me a bit in mind of what I had expected from the corresponding Vougeot, but a blooming profusion of musky floral perfume bespeaks Musigny. There is a subtle oiliness of texture coating the tannins here and a tiny-berry concentration of diverse red fruits is shadowed by their ethereal distilled counterparts as well as by Chartreuse-like high-toned herbal evocations. This Musigny’s sheer sappy concentration, formidable structure, and carnal depth preclude its being charming or seductive in the unforgettable manner of its 2007 predecessor. But that doesn’t mean the finish here isn’t spellbinding or that the wine won’t bewitch you. Here, I suspect, is another candidate for a quarter-century’s enthralling evolution. Lalou Bize-Leroy reports average 2008 Pinot Noir yields of 13 hectoliters per hectare, almost absurdly tiny even by her singular standards. Malos were a bit later than usual but were finished by summer, and the wines bottled – as usual – in December. Yet – also as usual – if their development was thereby in any way stunted, you certainly won’t detect it in the bottle today! The best of these display a sense of transparency; levity; and – even when rich and head-spinningly complex – a sheer sense of refreshment and invigoration that I have seldom encountered in other great wines from these sister estates. (Please note that my account of the complete 2007 red collection at Leroy was published in issue #189.) Importer: Martine’s Wines. Novato, CA; tel. (415) 883-040