From: Burgundy, France
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Taste & Critical Acclaim: It should be noted that points close to 90 from fastidious critics like Jasper Morris and Vinous aren’t negative critiques of the wine. They are, after all, judging these wines according to vintage, considering producer style, typicity of area, age-worthiness, etc. A Bourgogne rouge from an esteemed producer like Hubert Lignier should get high marks for the category (and this reflects that), but those “high marks” shouldn’t eclipse Villages, Premier Cru, or Grand Cru wines. Theoretically (generally true, though in this case, absolutely true), this is still a regional wine in a better drinking window earlier than any of the aforementioned designations, and these scores reflect that. As far as the actual taste goes... it’s delicious. It was fantastic on day one and even better on day 6. Vinous’s notes below reflect my feelings about this wine on day 1. By day 6, this wine had become emboldened by fresher fruits that lean further into the strawberry/crunchy red fruit realm, and its tannins and structure perfectly mirrored Jasper Morris’ notes below.
“Excellent intensity through the middle, an upright style, with structure behind.” 100%. Although this comes with a humble regional designation, the quality of fruit and winemaking behind this wine is exceptionally high. It's a must-get if you’re always on the lookout for fine wines without the price tag that goes into the hundreds or thousands of dollars. A deeper richer stricter and lower pH wine, as the colour shows. Excellent intensity through the middle, an upright style, with structure behind. Drink from 2025-2029." –89 points Jasper Morris MW, Inside Burgundy, 89 points
"The 2022 Bourgogne Grand Chaliot comes from vines south of Nuits Saint-Georges planted in 2010 on limestone soils. The nose is well-defined with pure dark cherry and strawberry fruit and more cohesion than the Plantes Gilbert. The medium-bodied palate is fresh with pliant tannins, crunchy red fruit and a hint of graphite towards the finish. This is the regional red to go for chez Lignier." –Vinous, 87 points
Pairing: I’d pair this wine with classic French comfort food. An easy fit would be to serve this with charcuterie and fromage boards or French-style rotisserie chicken and sautéed mushrooms. Duck confit, Coq au Vin, and the like are beautiful regional pairings. Other ideas include serving this with sweet and sour eggplant (we’re sharing a five-star twist on this idea below— go light on the spice!), mushroom risotto, or polenta, carnitas tacos, and even homemade mushroom burgers.
Braised Eggplant, Pork and Mushrooms
By Mark Bittman
About. Many thanks to our friends at Rosenthal Wine Merchants for importing and providing the following information!
Domaine Hubert Lignier does things the right way--their way--from farming to fermentation to élevage. They practice "sensible combat" (lutte raisonnee) in the vineyards and don't use herbicides. Their wines are organic but not certified. They don't have to be. They don't need to pay some outsider to come in and tell them what to do. They don't give a damn, and the wines are proof of their greatness. The use of new oak barrels is low- up to 50% of the Grand Crus Charmes Chambertin and Clos de la Roche.
The estate owns just over 8 ha, principally in Morey, Gevrey, and Chambolle, with recent purchases in Nuits, Pommard, and Saint Romain rounding out its holdings.
The Domaine Hubert Lignier has long had a reputation for fine wines known for their concentration, depth, and structure. We have had the extraordinary good fortune of commencing our relationship as the US importer for this estate with the 1978 vintage. At that time, Hubert Lignier was bottling small amounts of two different cuvées of Morey St. Denis (the village bottling and the 1er Cru “Vieilles Vignes”) and the fabled Clos de la Roche.
As our relationship progressed, more and more of the secrets of the cellar found their way into bottles rather than being sold off to negociants. All of the domaine’s holdings are now bottled under their own label. Hubert’s son, Laurent, is the next generation of this proud estate and follows his father’s traditional practices to ensure the treasures from the family’s impressive vineyard holdings continue to exhibit the best of their respective appellations.
The domaine owns 8.30 hectares, principally in the villages of Morey Saint Denis (where their home and the cellars are located), Gevrey Chambertin, and Chambolle Musigny. Recently, the Ligniers have expanded their holdings to include parcels in the appellations of Nuits Saint Georges and Pommard. The Ligniers follow the principles of “lutte raisonnée” (sensible combat) in their viticulture: for example, only organic compost is used when necessary, and the vineyard is tilled so that no herbicides are used. Yields vary from 20 to 55 hectoliters per hectare depending on the growing season conditions and the appellation. The thin clay and limestone soil on the slopes is not conducive to vigorous growth and limits the crop naturally.
After Romain Lignier's tragic passing in 2004, his elder brother, Laurent, is the next generation of this proud estate.
A “green harvest” is used when necessary to manage production further to ensure perfect maturity. Young vines are trained using the Cordon de Royat (spur training) system, which helps control the vigor and yields as well. Of critical importance, the “sélection massale” system (i.e. replacing missing vines with cuttings from the same vineyard) is the only method used to propagate vines, a tradition that gives an extra touch of complexity and character to the resulting wines. At harvest time, the pickers remove any unhealthy clusters in the field, to avoid contamination of the healthy grapes in the baskets, a practice that is supplemented with a “table de trie” at the cuverie.
Traditional vinification practices are the core of their work: grapes are destemmed and fermentation takes place in open-top cement tanks that allow manual pigéage. Only natural yeasts are used. Laurent uses an extended cold soak maceration period prior to fermentation to allow greater extraction (contrary to his father who believes that the best extraction takes place during the alcoholic fermentation). Fermentation is rather long and generally lasts 15 to 20 days following the cold soak of 5 days. The use of new oak for the élevage is carefully restrained; the norm being approximately 20% to 30% on the village wines and up to 50% for the Premier and Grand Crus. The wines of the village appellations usually spend 18 months in barrel while the Premier and Grand Crus remain in cask for 20 to 24 months before being bottled, all without fining or filtration. All work in the cellar that requires movement of the wine is done by gravity; the wines are never pumped.
