The 2018 Corton Les Grandes Lolières Grand Cru comes from 0.31 hectares on the Ladoix side; the vines are 65 years old. This is the only cuvée from Magnien that, in hindsight, might have been picked a little earlier; it’s just a little overpowering on the nose. The palate is medium-bodied with supple, saturated tannins, moderate acidity and a chalky-textured finish of black currant and cassis fruit. Quite stocky at the moment. It should be afforded 5–6 years in bottle.
(90-92) points, Vinous (January 2020)
This is a new farming contract taken on from a vigneron who has just retired. The holding comprises 0.31ha of 60 year old vines. Black purple with a touch of sweeter oak. Rich and firm dark fruit with a tannic core. There is good fruit intensity and it finishes juicily with the right mix of red and black notes.
(90-93) points, Inside Burgundy (November 2019)
The 2018 Corton Grand Cru Grandes Lolières bursts from the glass with notes of cherries, blackberries, burning embers and rich soil tones. On the palate, it's full-bodied, layered and muscular, with rich, chewy tannins and lively balancing acids. Like its Aloxe-Corton sibling—from which it's separated by only four meters—this will need some more time to round out.
(91-93)+ points, Wine Advocate (February 2020)
First vintage – a new parcel for them. Bottled – they bottled early because the wines were ready.
Deep cherry red. Intense aroma of extremely pure fruit, ripe but not at all overripe. Firm, deep and chewy on the palate. Compact, polished tannins. Perfect harmony in a baby wine with a long life ahead.
17.5+ points, JancisRobinson.com (January 2020)
Solid and opulent, Corton is a Bourgogne’s iconic - highly complex, impressively mouth-filling in a way that is at once sensual and structured.
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.
