2018 Musigny

The 2018 Musigny Grand Cru is being raised in used barrels this year – 1.75 of them, to be exact, the three-quarter-size one having previously held the entire 2016 vintage. Containing 90% whole bunch, this has a very precise, focused bouquet of mineral-infused red currant, cranberry and blackberry fruit that gains intensity with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with an effortless sense of harmony on the entry and perfect acidity. Touches of spice on the midpalate define the finish, which feels vivacious and full of tension. A wonderful Musigny.

There are one barrel and three-quarters of the 2018 Musigny Grand Cru, and both derive from the 2016 vintage, Christophe Roumier deciding not to use any new oak for this small cuvée this year. Opening in the glass with a profound bouquet of peonies, orange rind, cinnamon, pomegranate and raspberries, it's full-bodied, deep and serene, with a concentrated and youthfully tight-knit core framed by powdery tannins and succulent acids, concluding with a long and perfumed finish. Above all, this is a spectacularly harmonious young Musigny that will be extremely long lived.