Domaine Stéphane Magnien En Primeur 2022

INTRODUCTION THE DOMAINE VITICULTURE AND WINEMAKING THE WINES TO ORDER

INTRODUCTION

This is the fifth ‘En Primeur’ offer of the wines of Domaine Stéphane Magnien by Corney & Barrow Hong Kong and Singapore.

Domaine Stéphane Magnien En Primeur 2022

Stéphane Magnien is a man of few words but his wines speak for his knowledge and his skills. From a tiny family cellar, on the side of the church in Morey Saint Denis, Stéphane crafts elegant, scented and terroir driven wines. He has holding in Gevrey-Chambertin, Chambolle-Musigny and Morey Saint Denis with prestigious plots in Morey 1er cru appellations as well as Clos Saint Denis and Charmes Chambertin grand crus. All his cuvées show a real sense of place with an underlying purity and energy, signature of Stéphane’s winemaking. These are sublime wines.

Thibaut Mathieu
Managing Director, Corney & Barrow Asia

Older vintages

THE DOMAINE

Domaine Stéphane Magnien is located in Morey-Saint-Denis. The range is very exciting, covering the village, premier cru and grand cru tiers of Morey-Saint-Denis.

There are some village and premier cru wines of the next-door neighbour Chambolle-Musigny. There is as well a Charmes-Chambertin. 80% of the vineyards are in the commune of Morey-Saint-Denis.

Founded in 1847 by Victor Magnien, the domaine’s holdings cover 4.4 hectares, with an average vine age of around 50 years. There is a high proportion of Pinot Tordu, a clone of Pinot Noir producing particularly small berries.

Stéphane is the fourth generation to run the estate, the family having started to make wine at the beginning of the 1900s. The chai is in the family house, dating back from the 18th century. Jean-Paul Magnien, Stéphane’s father, was the first to bottle the wines under the family name, rather than selling them to negociants. Stéphane took over in 2008, which was his first solo vintage.

VITICULTURE AND WINEMAKING

The domaine’s vineyard work is carried out by hand. Strict green harvesting helps to control yields and maintain concentration. The grapes are sorted in the vineyard at harvest time. Pesticides and herbicides are avoided. Historically all the work of ploughing was done by horse although in the late ‘80s, small tractors were introduced. A living soil is very much a priority here, as is a deep root network.

Winemaking is traditional and minimal-intervention. All grapes are destemmed with the exception of the Aligoté. Fermentation lasts about two weeks using wild yeast, in stainless steel tanks. This is Stéphane’s only nod to modernism: after taking over from his father, he replaced the 50 year-old oak tanks with stainless steel ones.

Stéphane looks for elegance, a sense of fruit and terroir expression. He does not force extraction. The reds are aged in barrel for up to two years, in “new” barrels (by which Stéphane actually means one-to-five year-old barrels!) for the first year and in “used” ones afterwards. It can be inferred that new oak use is minimal! The village wines see 15% of “new” oak, the premiers crus about 20% and the grands crus about 35%. The wines are bottled without filtration and fining.

THE WINES

BOURGOGNE ALIGOTE

£85 / CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK

COTEAUX BOURGUIGNON PUR PINOT NOIR

This is coming from a plot of 0.5 ha, on the commune of Morey Saint Denis. The soil is rich in clay imparting texture, roundness and appealing fresh fruit aromas to the wine. It is rather fleshy and scented. Perfect for light lunch and cold cuts platter after a long day at the office.

Corney & Barrow Score 17-17.5
Recommended drinking from 2025-2029

£100 / CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK

MOREY-SAINT-DENIS VIEILLES VIGNES

Stéphane has 2 plots of average 55-year-old, composed mostly of clay and yielding powerful wines. Round and rich, the wine has aromas of ripe black fruit (blackberry) and sweet spices. The finish is long with savoury tannins. It is complex and generous. The harvest was totally destemmed.

Corney & Barrow Score 18.5
Recommended drinking from 2025-2035

£240 / CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK

MOREY-SAINT-DENIS GRAINS FINS

The plot is bordering the limit with Gevrey-Chambertin, in the north of the village of Morey, on a sub-soil of limestone that is well draining. The vines are 45-year-old. The wine is feminine, ‘Chambolle-like’, showing crunchy small red berries aromas. The sapidity calls for another glass. The palate is nervy and racy with a hint on rose petal in the end. It is not filtered prior to bottling. 7 to 10 years of ageing potential.

Corney & Barrow Score 18
Recommended drinking from 2025-2033

£220 / CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK

CHAMBOLLE-MUSIGNY VIEILLES VIGNES

The domaine has one plot of 0.26 ha, Les Athets, planted in 1902~1903 and located along the route nationale heading toward Dijon. This is the oldest vineyard of Stéphane. In spite of the venerable age of the vines, the wine is feminine and voluptuous. The nose is citrusy at first then shows aromas of stone fruits. A floral note complements the long finish. There is a good texture and elegant power. Stéphane replants the rows as the old vines go.

Corney & Barrow Score 17.5
Recommended drinking from 2024-2033

£290 / CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK

MOREY-SAINT-DENIS 1ER CRU MONTS-LUISANTS

This is the ‘unicorn’ cuvée of the domaine; it is not made every year. It sits high up the slope in the village, above Clos de La Roche Grand Cru and suffers in cold years. There was none produced in 2021 unsurprisingly. The wine displays small berries aromas, followed by citrus and rhubarb notes. It is lively and persistent. Very intense and sharp. I like this wine a lot.

Corney & Barrow Score 18.5
Recommended drinking from 2025-2033

£410 / CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK

MOREY-SAINT-DENIS 1ER CRU CUVEE AUX PETITES NOIX

The harvest comes from 2 plots (Clos Baulet and Clos Sorbè) too small to be bottled separately. The soil is poor, forcing the vines to dig deep for nutrient. The wine is savoury, with underwood characters then lively citrus and stone fruit aromas come out as it opens up. The palate is fresh and mineral with lots of energy. Stéphane vinifies with whole bunch.

Corney & Barrow Score 17.5-18
Recommended drinking from 2025-2033

£390 / CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK

MOREY-SAINT-DENIS 1ER CRU LES FACONNIÈRES ROUGE

The plot sits under the Clos de La Roche Grand Cru. These vines produce flavourful berries because of millerandage often happening in this vineyard. The palate is restrained, taut. Notes of spices and games come first followed rapidly by aromas of blackcurrant. It is serious and mineral. Long ageing potential

Corney & Barrow Score 18-18.5
Recommended drinking from 2026-2034+

£400 / CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK

CHAMBOLLE-MUSIGNY 1ER CRU LES SENTIERS

This is a racy and aristocratic wine displaying ripe red fruits flavours, silky and velvety tannins and a touch of sweet spice on its long finish. Elegance, poise and freshness come to mind while the wine opens in the glass.

Corney & Barrow Score 17.5-18
Recommended drinking from 2025-2033+

£430 / CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK

CLOS SAINT-DENIS GRAND CRU

This is imposing, precise and chiselled. The mouth is long, powerful and intense. First aromas of wild strawberries jump out of the glass. With time, some floral notes come out. It is complex and refined. This is the jewel of the domaine. Domaine Stéphane Magnien’s holding is in the heart of the original Clos Saint Denis plot. This Clos takes its name from the first Bishop of Paris.

Corney & Barrow Score 18.5-19
Recommended drinking from 2027-2043

£900 / CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK

CHARMES-CHAMBERTIN GRAND CRU

This could be bottled as a Mazoyères Chambertin. At first floral and delicate, the nose evolves toward cherry aromas then tea leaves. As it gets some air in the glass, its elegant structure comes out and reveals its flesh and texture. Unctuous and persistent, it is a complex wine and will age well.

Corney & Barrow Score 18.5
Recommended drinking from 2027-2040+

£900 / CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK

TO ORDER

Hong Kong

+852 3694 3333 [email protected]