Beautiful Wines - and Great Values - from Stéphane Magnien in Morey-Saint-Denis!

Cellar at Domaine Stéphane Magnien

For many years we have been working with Domaine Stéphane Magnien (not to be confused with Michel or Frédéric), a small domaine in Morey-Saint-Denis that makes superb, subtle, and old-fashioned wines of terroir from their 4.5 hectares. The domain is proud to say that for four generations they have not used herbicides, using plowing by horse and tractor to preserve the microbial life of the soil and force the vine's roots to descend more deeply, pulling great typicity from the terroir. "Far from 'vins médiatique' you will find in our bottles a subtle wine, well-structured, respecting the terroir and the vintage, with great length on the palate... all in finesse." There is a high percentage of old vines in their parcels, including a great deal of "Pinot Tordu," a small-berried,  aromatic old clone of Pinot - and there is a superb new cuvée Of Morey-Saint-Denis - the "Grains Fins" made entirely from young vines of Pinot Fin. Minimal new oak is used, normally 10% for the premier and grand cru wines, and the wines are bottled without fining or filtration. Hand harvesting, of course, and long, slow wild-yeast fermentations.

We are hoping to get more wine later this winter, but for now we have only one case of the beautiful Chambolle 1er Cru "les Sentiers" and three cases of the floral and elegant Chambolle "Vieilles Vignes," with two to four cases available of the Morey-Saint-Denis village and 1er Cru wines. Happily we have a good supply of the delicious "Coteaux Bourguignons" - the 2017 "Tradition" (formerly Bourgogne Passetoutgrain) and the lush and vibrant 2018 "Pur Pinot." Anyone seeking bargains in Burgundy should buy these by the case - they will provide delicious drinking over the next three to five years! Wines Arrive Wednesday October 16^th

-David Lillie