1978 Musigny Vieilles Vignes

I have tasted the 1978 Musigny Vieilles Vignes on just two or three occasions, and while it has never been the all-conquering masterpiece it might have been, it has always performed well. Here, tasted against no less than 1978 Petrus and 1978 Hermitage La Chapelle, it surpasses the former but is no match for the latter. In any case, it is certainly testament to the fact that it is no slouch after 36 years. This bottle has a rustic, slightly animally bouquet with what I suspect was evidence of brettanomyces, although that he subsided with age. Allowing the wine to unfurl in the glass, one notices that there is not oxidation, but rather it evolves attractive secondary aromas of rusty iron piping and dried orange rind. The palate is well-balanced and clean. There is curiously a Graves-like personality, partly due to its masculinity and backbone. It is a rather aloof wine – there is little fruit to appease those looking for fleshiness or corpulence, though it has charm and vigor. Well-kept bottles such as this should still be drinking well but, as ever, provenance is key. Drink now. Tasted March 2014.

I have tasted the 1978 Musigny Vieilles Vignes on just two or three occasions, and while it has never been the all-conquering masterpiece it might have been, it has always performed well. Here, tasted against no less than 1978 Petrus and 1978 Hermitage La Chapelle, it surpasses the former but is no match for the latter. In any case, it is certainly testament to the fact that it is no slouch after 36 years. This bottle has a rustic, slightly animally bouquet with what I suspect was evidence of brettanomyces, although that he subsided with age. Allowing the wine to unfurl in the glass, one notices that there is not oxidation, but rather it evolves attractive secondary aromas of rusty iron piping and dried orange rind. The palate is well-balanced and clean. There is curiously a Graves-like personality, partly due to its masculinity and backbone. It is a rather aloof wine – there is little fruit to appease those looking for fleshiness or corpulence, though it has charm and vigor. Well-kept bottles such as this should still be drinking well but, as ever, provenance is key. Drink now. Tasted March 2014. Apr 2014, www.robertparker.com