2019 Domaine Lucien Muzard Maranges Côte de Beaune 750 ml

Lucien Muzard’s 2019 Maranges is proof that there’s stellar value in Burgundy if you know where to look. A silky, seductive Pinot Noir with a pitch-perfect blend of bright red fruit and earthy accents, it’s a hidden gem of the Côte d’Or—the kind of wine that we search high and low to find.

This is everything we look for in a Burgundy value. Grown on old vines in a village that’s historically overlooked, made in small quantities by ninth-generation winemakers, it sits perfectly at the intersection of high-quality and under-the-radar.

We’ve been popping bottles left and right since this allocation arrived in our warehouse, and our dinner guests have been wowed that we’re opening Burgundy of this caliber—without knowing the Muzard's bargain price.

Every time we open a bottle, we’re blown away by the aromas right out of the gate. Boasting a swirling panoply of black cherries, red currants, dried thyme, black tea, and violets, the wine's energy and freshness command your attention. The palate continues that trend, with an ethereal blend of red fruit, gravelly minerals, and a hint of spice, all wrapped up in a satiny texture.

The village of Maranges is the southernmost in Burgundy’s prestigious Côte d’Or, and it has long been known for Pinot Noir values. Historically, the wines from the town have been considered a bit rustic, but Lucien Muzard’s stands out for a polish and class that goes far beyond what you normally get at this price.

Muzard’s organically farmed vineyards are over 50 years old, planted in the town’s signature sol amoureux—“loving soil,” so named for the way the clay sticks to your boots. Those soils give Maranges wines delightfully rich fruit. Current winemakers Claude and Hervé Muzard then polish the tannins to an elegance that usually comes from names like Volnay or Beaune, a few villages north.

That means using 40% whole bunches in the fermentation, giving the wine notes of black tea and dried herbs, along with a brightness and energy, and then aging it for ten months before bottling. 30% of the wine ages in tank, which helps preserve the juicy, fresh quality of the fruit, and the rest ages in the region’s traditional barriques, only 15% of which are new—displaying elegance and terroir is the name of the game here.