Domaine Mugneret-Gibourg

The silky persistence and enveloping aromas of Pinot Noir from Vosne-Romanée is what is often meant when one calls any wine “Burgundian.” There are few estates that capture the seductive power of Burgundian Pinot Noir as faithfully as does Domaine Georges Mugneret-Gibourg in Vosne.

To wit, the Mugneret sisters today are one of the leading talents in all of Burgundy. Their very small production is highly sought-after (and often in vain) by the world’s connoisseurs, simply because Mugneret Burgundy offers such a subtle yet potent impression of Burgundy’s most hallowed terroirs.

The history of the Mugnerets has much to do with fate, a theme not unfamiliar to grape growers or winemakers. The modern founder of the family estate, Dr. Georges Mugneret, was born into a winemaking family yet pursued his passion for wine alongside his profession as an ophthalmologist. In the late 1980s, however, he passed away after a short but serious illness, handing over the estate he had nurtured to his wife, Jacqueline, and two daughters, Marie-Christine and Marie-Andrée, for them to either carry on, or sell.

Madame Mugneret said no sale; Marie-Christine gave up a career as a chemist to learn winemaking; and Marie-Andrée quickly finished her oenological studies. And with a passion and dedication no less than their father’s, they pushed on to establish Mugneret-Gibourg as the world-class domaine it is today.

We first started working with the Mugnerets decades ago when their father was at the helm; today, it is always a joy to visit these hard-working and ever generous sisters and taste the products of their tireless labors. Mugneret Burgundy is Burgundian to its core, a pleasure to drink and a treasure to cellar.

Marie-Christine and Marie-Andrée's primary ambition is to demonstrate the greatest respect for Pinot Noir, the grape-variety from which they are fortunate enough to produce their wines.

Marie-Christine, Marie-Andrée and their team make their wine in a gentle and classical style, thus preserving all the delicacy, fruit, and freshness of the grape. This adequacy "Pinot Noir - Terroir" makes for the richness and diversity of the Burgundy vineyards.

Vineyard and vinification

The domain cultivates over 8 hectares (nearly 20 acres) with 9 different appellations, producing from 20.000 to 30.000 bottles, subject to the whims of nature.

From vine to bottle, the team is unceasingly aiming for perfection.
The quality of a wine is based on respect of the terroir and the environment.
Marie-Christine and Marie-Andrée established their viticulture on sustainable methods, enhancing the unique expression of each plot.
The Domain has opted for ploughing to cultivate the soils in order to let the vine root grow deeply and vigorously, drawing the best of the terroir into the grapes.
The pruning process takes place in the winter season during the period of dormancy.
From May onwards, the long and meticulous work of the vine begins to enable its growth and flowering as well as the bearing of the fruits which will be harvested in September.
All through the summer period particular attention is paid to the vine. Repeated attention to stocks masters the vegetation while favouring the optimal growth of each plant. The aim is to promote quality and to prepare the crop of the year but also to preserve the growth for the following year.

The grapes are hand-picked. Once they arrive in the vat-house, they are rigorously selected for quality on a sorting table, the stems totally removed, and the remaining grapes placed in vats.
After cold maceration lasting from four to five days, the alcoholic fermentation continues for approximately 10 days.
The total vatting time lasts from 15 to 20 days. After devatting and pneumatically pressing, each "cuvée" (vat content) is then poured into oak barrels in our cellars to age for the next 18 months.
This period of ageing is interspersed with racking (removing the young wine from one cask to another, leaving the lees and sediment behind). Each appellation is then blended. The wines are bottled at the domain, and are neither fined nor filtered.
The wines are sold both in France (private customers, restaurants, wine shops) and abroad (Germany, Australia, Belgium, China, United States, Great-Britain, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Switzerland, Taiwan ...). 

The Mugnerets care for their vineyards according to “lutte raisonée” principles, using treatments if necessary (but very infrequently). Plowing between the rows to control weed growth and green harvesting to control yields is the norm.

Grapes are harvested by hand and are sorted on a sorting table at the cellar. Fruit is destemmed and fermented in temperature-controlled tanks on indigenous yeasts. Wines are aged in French oak barrels for approximately 18 months; villages wines see 10-20 percent new wood; premier cru wines 30-40 percent; and grand cru wines up to 70 percent. Wines are bottled unfined and unfiltered.