Henri Magnien

Our biggest new discovery of November 2019 was in Gevrey. The tasting at Henri Magnien completely bowled us over; we found intense, expressive wines, that were beautifully textured and bountifully aromatic. We decided on the spot we had to have them. This is another domaine with a lot of history behind it - the Magniens go back to 1656, and the affable Charles Magnien, who took over a decade ago, represents no less than the twelfth generation here. Not only do they have some fantastic sites with old vines, they even have their very own clone of Pinot Noir. Pinot Magnien produces small, thick-skinned berries with concentrated juice, and the Magniens use it across 70% of their vineyard area. It goes part of the way to explaining the astonishing quality on show here, and it is being taken up by other domaines. (NT 28/01/20)