I’ll Drink to That: Frédéric Mugnier

Episode 405: Friday, February 11, 2017

Levi Dalton talks with Frédéric Mugnier about the history of his domaine, his personal path to taking over the family winery, and some of his vine-growing and wine-making philosophy.

Some highlights

Defining wine quality: “Wine is not like oil or steel. In fact, the big difference is the quality of wine cannot be defined in just a couple of parameters. The quality can even not even be defined on a linear scale. (…) Basically, quality in wine is an aesthetical question, there is no absolute truth. It’s subjective. (…) There is no referee that can decide what is good and what is better and not as good, it just doesn’t mean anything. Of course we do our best to make the best possible wines, but the best is not enough. What is really important is that each wine has a personality of its own, each wine must be distinct from each other one.”

Great winemaking: “It’s something I keep in mind all the time: it does not take a great winemaker to make a great wine. Making wine is a simple process, it’s very natural. When the grapes are of good quality, it can be just as simple as that. (…) What is more difficult is not to make one great wine once in a decade or once in a life, what is difficult is to make good wine every year, whatever the quality of the grapes, whatever the weather. So that’s why, in fact, I am much prouder of difficult vintages where I think I have been able to make good wines, than the greatest wines that were made, which may have been made just by chance.”

Check out past “I’ll Drink to That!” episodes here.