2012 Musigny Grand Cru
By Domaine Leroy
2012 Musigny Grand Cru from Domaine Leroy, Burgundy, France
The allure of the 2012 Musigny Grand Cru from Domaine Leroy offers a compelling narrative – a chronicle of resilience and mastery. A year not without its challenges, Burgundy's 2012 vintage emerged triumphantly from a growing season plagued by haphazard weather patterns and low yields, ultimately celebrating the diligence and expertise of vintners.
An Exceptional Terroir's Triumphant Expression
Lalou Bize-Leroy's biodynamic stewardship fluttered defiantly in the face of adversity to conjure a 2012 Musigny Grand Cru of exquisite poetry. This revered patchwork of Burgundy is fabled for wines that articulate the intricacies of their terroir with grace and clarity; the 2012 incarnation is no exception, encapsulating a purity of place with its profound depth and complexity.
Tasting Notes: An Exegesis of Elegance
One is immediately beguiled by the enchanting bouquet - an aromatic mélange where dark cherries, ripe plums and a whisper of violets intertwine with earthy undertones and hints of spice.The palate is testament to the noble character intrinsic to the Musigny vineyard; seamlessly crafted tannins yield to layers of rich fruit and savoury mushroom, punctuated by an acidity that ensures longevity and an undoubted crescendo in the years to come. Accessible now but promised to unfold magnificently, this vintage speaks volumes for discerning collectors and investors alike.
The 2012 Musigny Grand Cru: A Vintage That Speaks Volumes
The Domaine Leroy 2012 Musigny Grand Cru stands as a testament to both an exceptional terroir and the meticulous, defiant efforts poured into its creation. Investors taking keen interest in Burgundy's liquid treasures will be well-aware that vintages such as these – sculpted by trials yet emerging as a paragon – offer both drinking pleasure and potential for significant appreciation. As always with Domaine Leroy, it is the dialogue between land, vintage, and vintner that culminates in the glass, telling a story that resonates with every tasted motif.
In this 2012 wonderment lies a canvas where time will paint its masterpiece – an offering bound for ennoblement in the cellars of those who can appreciate the confluence of investment acumen and vinous artistry.
Market price (GBP)
£714,000.00
12x75cl
Highest score
99
POP score
37578.95
Scores and tasting notes
There are two pieces of the otherworldly 2012 Musigny Grand Cru this year. Despite just a hint of reduction, the intensity on this grand cru is palpable and it unfurls in the moments it has in the glass, revealing dark plum and truffle scents that infuse the black and red fruit. The palate is defies all expectations: perfect acidity, utterly refined tannins, silky texture, a sense of harmony and completeness that it seems to stop the world. To put it candidly, this is a contender for one of the greatest wines that I have ever tasted from barrel…and I have tasted quite a few. Lalou Bize-Leroy’s domaine wines are not the easiest to procure, but given that in 2012 the average rendement was a paltry 9hl/ha then I am envisaging a few lively “discussions” on the touchy subject of allocations. Lalou, suffering the sniffles when I visited but as energetic as always, was ecstatic about her 2012s, regaling them for their mineralite and terroir expression. She started picking on 17 September, a little earlier than others, and told me that the malo-lactics were a little tardier than usual because of the fresh acidity levels. Certainly some of the samples demonstrated a lot of reduction, more than Lalou was care to admit, but peering through them, there really were some quite astonishing wines in her midst. I speculate that the better Lalou’s wines, the more excited her two dogs behave during the tasting, and our two hour degustation was interspersed by manic tail wagging, the occasion tussle and one growling stand-off at the precise moment I had her magisterial Musigny in my glass. The journey through the grand crus was exhilarating, each suffused with untrammeled energy and tension, more expressive of their terroirs than the 2011s that I tasted back in July. There is a part of me that wants to by cynical given the stratospheric prices demanded, as if to say to Lalou: “Prove it.” And that’s the thing – they go ahead and prove that these are some of the finest Pinot Noirs produced on Earth. Readers should not that Lalou invited me to taste her 2012s either from barrel or later in bottle, whichever I prefer but not both due to miniscule quantities that are often just a single barrel, a position I completely respect and support. I would have chose the latter if I was being selfish, but the former to offer some guidance and some juxtaposition with other vignerons. Also, I did not taste the wines from Domaine d’Auvenay simply because the quantities are so depleted in 2012. Importer: Martine’s Wines. Novato, CA; tel. (415) 883-040 and through Justerini & Brooks (UK)
Neal Martin - The Wine Advocate, 29 December 2013