• Gérard Mugneret

    • Nuits-Saint-Georges La Richemone 1er Cru

    At a Glance

    • Etymology: Richemone is composed of two words: riche (mighty, rich) and mone, which sounds like none (nun, sister). Did the parcel belong to rich nuns? It is likely since the nuns at the Abbey du Lieu-Dieu had vineyards in Nuits-Saint-Georges. (Source: Marie-Hélène Landrieu-Lussigny).
    • Size: 0.17 ha (0.42 ac)
    • Variety: Pinot Noir
    • Vine Age: Planted in 1944, 1974 and 1986.
    • Terroir: Pascal’s Aux Cras and La Richemone are adjacent but La Richemone is higher on the slope. It is the domaine's steepest parcel and it is plowed by horse. Very shallow (5 to 25 cm) light, sandy and stony topsoil.
    • Viticulture: Uncertified biodynamic
    • Vinification: 100% whole cluster, ambient yeast fermentations. Aged in oak barrels (usually 100% new since Pascal makes only one barrel ) for 12 to 18 months. Since 2016, very moderate sulfur additions: none during vinification, a little during élevage and before bottling, for a total of 15 to 20 ppm.

    Additional Info

    With only 0.17 ha of Richemone and 0.27 ha of Aux Cras, the Mugneret family had always blended both parcels, and because the two crus were allowed to be labelled as Boudots, that’s what they did.

    “But it always felt uncomfortable for me,” says Pascal. “We talked about Aux Boudots but when people asked where my vines were located, I had to answer, ‘well, they are not actually in Boudots.’”

    Since 2017, Pascal has bottled the two crus separately. Boudots was often our favorite wine in the cellar but we have no regrets. Both crus are spectacular in their own right and even though the parcels are adjacent (the southeast corner of Pascal’s Aux Cras touches the northwest corner of his La Richemone) the wines are very different.

    La Richemone comes closest to Pascal’s ideal of the wines he wants to make. “A friend once asked me if I was making the wines I had always imagined I would make,” Pascal says. “I answered ‘no.’ We’re on our way but we’re not there yet. But when I taste La Richemone, I can say that we’ve reached the target. The wine is a combination of opposites. It’s very rich on the attack and you could imagine that the finish will be very heavy. But it is not heavy at all. It’s mineral, it’s floral. This wine is a movie from beginning to end.”