Notes of red berries, plums and forest floor preface the 2019 Aloxe-Corton 1er Cru La Coutière, a medium to full-bodied, layered and muscular wine that's round and charming, concluding with a mineral finish. Magnien has succeeded in offering a refined rendition of this inherently structured, potentially rustic site.
91 points, Wine Advocate (January 2021)
The sophomore 2019 Aloxe-Corton La Coutiere 1er Cru underwent no pigeage this year. It has a floral bouquet of rose-petal- and incense-infused red fruit, hints of aniseed emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with a slightly tarry entry, fine weight and acidity, fanning out nicely toward the also slightly tarry finish. This is a well-crafted Aloxe-Corton.
90 points, Vinous (December 2020)
2019 is the second vintage of a rental agreement. Charles Magnien decided not to punch down this wine or the Corton in 2019 as he feels that a single punchdown with this fruit is the same as three in Gevrey-Chambertin, and he wanted to avoid overdone tannins. Mid purple. some lush fruit, a little bit coarse at the back, some heat even, with a moderate depth of fruit on the cusp of red and black.
(86-89) points, Inside Burgundy (October 2020)
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.
