Hitsville MSD - Lignier-Michelot's Brilliant 2016s

11/2/18 -

At a certain point, when one reflects on all the wines they have been fortunate enough to taste, certain growers stand out for their ability to capture the character and quality of every vintage. Yet the best of these vignerons also offer their own signature to the wines much like a painter's signature is reflected by their brushstroke. Over time we await each vintage to see how the portrait comes together.

One of our favorite growers who seems to have an uncanny ability to capture the nuances of each vintage is Virgile Lignier of Domaine Lignier-Michelot in Morey-St.-Denis. Each year's wines are studies in precision, transparency, and detail. Farming is organic, though not certified. Fermentation is with native yeasts. There is some use of whole clusters. The winemaking regimen is tailored to the character of each vintage and cuvée. In short, the work of any good vigneron, Yet somehow the results are reliably transcendent. Virgile makes magnificent wines in good vintages, and lovely wines in the difficult years. (As beautiful as his 2005s and 2010s are, likewise you should seek out his 2004s and 2007s.) In the difficult, frost-limited 2016 vintage Lignier-Michelot made truly magical wines, with succulent pure Pinot fruit, soaring aromatics, and vivid terroir detail. These have impeccable balance and fine structure and should age effortlessly. Congratulations to Virgile on another fantastic vintage! John McIlwain