I’m new to burgundies and recently tasted a JF Mugnier Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Clos de la Marechale 2014 and I enjoyed it a lot, upon further research it appears Chevillon (Les Vaucrains) is also a top producer in St. Georges, are their styles similar, or will the tasting experience be a lot different than the Mugnier Marechale? I’m trying to decide how to allocate my purchases as these are readily available (even older vintages) and are not crazy expensive
I’ve also read that Dujac produced a Nuits St. Georges wine (1er Cru Aux Cras) in 2016, never had any Dujac but would this be at the same level after some years?
The two producers have markedly different styles, and Vaucrains as a site produces much more rustic and powerful wines than the Clos de la Marechale.
Dujac is top tier…a step up from the other two wines…and much more expensive.
It certainly isn’t my intention to disparage Dujac, indeed on the contrary, but I’m not sure it’s a fait accompli that a Dujac Cras will inevitably surpass a wine from Mugnier or Chevillon. The Clos de la Marechale can be brilliant and Chevillon’s Vaucrains is one of the finest wines produced in NSG.
I agree, however, that all three will be very different.
I really enjoyed the Mugnier, it didn’t have much depth or long finish but had a great nose and was tasty.
I don´t see Dujac´s NSG Les Cras as one of his top wines …
while Chevillon and (since 2004/05) Mugnier are major NSG producers.
However, all styles are quite different.
I can’t agree that the Dujac is a better wine, although it certainly could be in some vintages. Chevilion’s Vaucrains is top notch and it drinks more like a Vosne e Premier Cru and a nice one at that. Also anything that Mugnier makes is good to great and while this is admittedly a big step down from his top vineyards, it can still be really good. If I had to choose an order of preference without considering price, I would go 1. Chevilion’s 2. Dujac 3.Mugnier from those vineyards.
FWIW that Dujac Cras is Dujac P&F, not Domaine.
Different strokes and all.
I would never compare Chevillon Vaucrains to a Vosne. It is signature Nuits to my taste.
But to the OP’s question, we seem to all agree that the wines will be very different.
+1
Furthermore, I almost always find Chevillon’s Vaucrains to be noticeably riper than the other wines. For me, Les Cailles is the sweet spot of their portfolio.
Both Marechale and Vaucrains are located in the Southern portion of NSG. In fact Marechale is a big vineyard technically in Premeaux. Mugnier produces 150 barrels of this wine, it’s by far his biggest holding. I’ve never had a really sublime rendition of this wine, whereas I’ve had a few from Chevillon’s Vaucrains that have hit high notes. As Alan says, it’s one of Chevillon’s riper cuvées.
Neither wine is Vosne-like as others have stated. To me the most Vosne vineyard in NSG is Boudots, not surprisingly since the vineyard is on the Northern end of NSG and borders VR. Meo And Leroy make a very Vosne version of the vineyard.
Joe,
There are a lot more producers in the Nuits, it’s a fairly large area. You should do some more exploring.
Gouges is another top tier producer you should investigate.
There are many, many others.
Thank you, I’ll have to explore other producers like Gouges.
Joe,
Both Mugnier Maréchale and Chevillon Vaucrains are terrific and I am happy to have examples of both resting in the cellar. Both can be reasonably priced (realizing it’s all relative). The vineyards are quite different (Vaucrains is ranked by some second only to Les St. Georges) and the producers have different signatures, although trying to tease out what is nature and what is nurture would be difficult. I would certainly acquire both if you can, just to see the differences. Agree, Gouges is exemplary and if you are exploring NSG this house is incredibly important.
Agree with Alan - Les Cailles is distinctive in NSG and my personal favorite among the Chevillon offerings.
Cheers,
Doug
Joe
Is it possible you woukd fimd more depth or length in the Mugnier with more age?
Its possible, not 100% sure though, don’t have experience with burgs or this producer. The 2014 I tasted I enjoyed, the nose was great.
While Aux Boudots is no Vosne-R, it is IMHO the most Vosne-like NSG, and of high quality.
I´ll conduct a tasting in forthcoming June: Malconsorts vers. Boudots … going to be interesting …
Based on my limited experiences with Chevillon Vaucrains, the Chevillon Vaucrains from 90s are very different from post-2000 Vaucrains, not as rustic now but probably still as rich and powerful.
Loved Mugnier’s style so I have bought quite a few vintages of Clos de la Marechale.
+1.
The Cailles is easier, more feminine and does not need as much age as Vaucrains. Good as they are, Vaucrains has greater potential,