2020 Mongeard-Mugneret Pernand-Vergelesses Les Vergelesses

Mongeard-Mugneret is a 75-acre estate in Vosne-Romanee, in Burgundy’s Cote de Nuits. There were Mongeards making wine in the region in the 19th century and in 1945 Jean Mongeard, whose mother was a Mugneret, began working the family domaine though he was still a teenager. Today the estate is mostly run by Jean’s son Vincent. The domain has Grand Cru parcels in Echezeaux, Grands-Echezeaux, Echezeaux “Vieilles Vignes,” Clos de Vougeot and Richebourg. There are also numerous Premier Crus and villages wines. Domaine Mongeard-Mugneret has parcels in 22 appellations. Robert M. Parker Jr. has written that the domain’s “style of winemaking seems to extract rich, supple, concentrated fruit from the grapes.”

Pernand-Vergelesses is an 870-acre appellation sometimes overshadowed by its famous neighbor to the east, Aloxe-Corton. Depending on the time of the day, Le Montagne de Corton literally casts a shadow over of the village of Pernand-Vergelesses, which has fewer than 400 people. Pernand-Vergelesses appellation wines can be red or white, and its most renowned wines are the Grand Crus it shares with its neighbor Aloxe-Corton. About 25% of the Grand Cru vineyard Corton-Charlemagne is within the Pernand-Vergelesses appellation. There are six Premiers Crus, they produce much of the wine of Pernand-Vergelesses and nearly 75% of what they produce is Pinot Noir. Many of the vineyards face northeast, meaning that inhospitable weather can be particularly challenging for growers. Robert M. Parker Jr. notes “in good vintages a top Premier Cru Pernand-Vergelesses will be a relatively rich, rustic, concentrated wine that is often compared to that of its nearby neighbor, Savigny-Lès-Beaune.”

This red wine is relatively light and can pair with a wide variety of foods. The grape prefers cooler climates and the wine is most often associated with Burgundy, Champagne and the U.S. west coast. Regional differences make it nearly as fickle as it is flexible.