The 2008 Musigny Vieilles Vignes is a wine I could smell all day. The explosive bouquet literally jumps from the glass, followed by deep, beautifully delineated layers of fruit. This shows terrific concentration and depth, dazzling finesse, and a nicely pointed, direct finish. It is an eternal wine.

This is also quite reserved at present with an elegant, airy, cool and pure nose that is kaleidoscopically complex as it offers red currant, plum, black cherry and a panoply of floral and spice notes, in particular violet and anise, before marrying seamlessly into mineral-driven and alluring big-bodied flavors that explode on the powerful and almost painfully intense finish that delivers genuinely stunning length. I love the way Musigny can so effortlessly combine a silky palate impression with serious muscle. This should be quite impressive in time though note that it will need a minimum of 18 to 25 years of cellar time. *Don't Miss!*

Good full medium red. Pungent aromas of wild red berries and crushed stone complicated by mint and pepper. Juicy and extremely intense but youthfully imploded today, showing a medicinal reserve and a crystallized quality to its sharply delineated fruit and mineral flavors. Finishes with serious tannic spine, but the wine's energy and subtle building perfume are utterly captivating. Almost painful today but showed building fruit even in the brief time I had it in my glass. Enologist Francois Millet believes that the freshness of the 2008s "will collapse if the wines are served too warm" as the syrupy fruit character of the vintage is needed to balance its brisk acidity. He suggested a serving temperature of under 60 degrees.

The produce of the vines more than 25 years old goes into this (as opposed to the younger-vine Chambolle Premier Cru). Very dense and introvert. Not nearly as expressive in November 2009 as the domaine’s Bonnes Mares. Extremely serious, ambitious wine. An intriguing floral note that took me straight back to the smell of my grandmother’s flower arrangements. Rich, powerful attack on the palate. Wonderful precision. Sinewy. Then great nuances. This wine has such finesse! Yet it is dense and muscular too and just races away on the palate. Sweetness of fruit at the beginning and then absolutely dry and correct on the finish. Neat, reserved but clearly very special indeed. 19/20 points