Domaine Henri Magnien Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes
The Vieilles Vignes, or old vines, are from those mich sought-after 70 to 100-year-old vines from which the Massal Selection cuttings, named Pinot Magnien, are taken.
Expect a juicy, generous Gevrey-Chambertin Villages rogue showing ripe red fruit, great balance, a medium-body and a lengthy finish. All much like the younger Villages equivalent bottling. However, you’ll find more depth, complexity and concentration here as expected from an old vines selection.
'...this is an exciting emerging domaine with which consumers are warmly advised to acquaint themselves'
- Wine Advocate
Selected from 8 plots of old vines from 40 to 100 years, from the better lieux dits such as Epointures, En Champs and some Champerriers. Sweetly ripe, raspberry and strawberry fruit, some peonies too, a little bit of tannin behind more from the wood but also a fresh fruit-driven finish.
90 points, Jasper Morris MW.
Mild reduction pushes the underlying fruit to the background but there is a lovely vivacity to the well-detailed, intense and solidly concentrated flavours that terminate in a powerful, robust and youthfully austere and rustic finale. This is actually pretty good as I like the depth and balance.
88-91 points, Allen Meadows, January 2019.
The 2017 Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes reveals pretty aromas of red berries, orange rind, cedary oak and hints of grilled meat. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, fleshy and textural, though some fine but firm tannins assert themselves on the finish.
87-89 points, William Kelley, Wine Advocate, February 2019.
Mid to light crimson. Peppery dark-red fruit. Nicely chewy, honest and harmonious, there's some oak on the palate but enough fruit to fill it out. Juicy finish even though the tannins are quite firm.
16.5 points, Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com, January 2019.
“For fifteen years the Emperor [Napoleon] constantly drank the same wine [Gevrey-Chambertin] , which he liked and which we believed was good for him."
Mémorial de Sainte-Hélène by The Count of Las Cases
Gevrey-Chambertin is the largest wine-producing village in the entire Côte d’Or with the wines typically deeper in colour, with more tannin structure and firmer in body than most red Burgundy. Thanks to the iron-rich clay soils the very best can develop into the richest, biggest and long-lived Pinot Noir - this of course depends on whether the vineyard is located on the steeper slopes or the flatter, richer soils.
Gevrey boasts an impressive nine Grands Crus, with the name of Chambertin retaining a regal omnipresence throughout its finest vineyard names. Chambertin-Clos de Bèze which has the right to sell its wines simply as ‘Chambertin’, and is also the only wine allowed to put the ‘Chambertin’ before (rather than after its own), is considered one of the greats. Quality-wise the next best is generally acknowledged to be Mazis-Chambertin with incredibly concentrated and fine wines, but a little less firm than Le Chambertin. The tiny Griottes-Chambertin, which owes its name to the grill-pan shape of the vineyard rather than the wine’s griotte (sour) cherry aroma, is lower down the slope and boasts a velvety texture and rich fruit reminiscent of Chambertin itself. Gevrey’s largest Grand Cru, Charmes-Chambertin is pure and seductive.
The wines of Gevrey-Chambertin are deeply colored. They have intense aromas of currants and other small red and black fruits, animal notes of musk and fur, and often a touch of licorice after some bottle aging. They are powerful, with balanced tannins, a soft mouthfeel and good acidity. These are generally robust wines.
While the Magnien family has been operating in Burgundy since the mid-1600s, Domaine Henri Magnien et Fils was established in 1987 by Henri for himself, his son François and his grandson Charles. After working side-by-side with his father, Charles took the reins in 2009 and is now considered to be in the vanguard of the young, energetic winemakers in the Gevrey-Chambertin and the Côte de Nuits.
Domaine Henri Magnien is a small family-owned and run estate of a mere six hectares of vineyard holdings. What they lack in hectarage they make up for in undoubted Gevrey-Chambertin quality. The Magnien family’s inexorable march to organic viticulture has been going for years with around 80% already complete. Charles, considered to be one of Burgundy’s rising stars, employs Selection Massale, or Massal Selection, to plant his more recent vineyards with cutting selections made from 70 to 100-year-old vines. These clonal selections are known as Pinot Magnien (the family has been around for a while) and are widely considered to be the best in the appellation. They are much sought-after and used by the likes of Jérôme Galeyrand.
The Domaine also has many of the very best vineyards, including Lavaux Saint-Jacques, Les Cazetiers and Ruchottes-Chambertin.
