Domaine Michel Magnien Morey-Saint-Denis 2020
(Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France) 750mL

About the Winery:
Michel Magnien was born in 1946 and worked alongside his father Bernard from a young age. The Magniens sold their grapes to the local cooperative until 1993 when Michel's son Frédéric joined the family business and persuaded his father to bottle the entire harvest by themselves. Frédéric Magnien began experimenting with organic practices in the late 1990s and the entire production was certified biodynamic by Demeter in 2015.

The domaine’s 45 acres are spread across the villages of Morey-Saint-Denis, Gevrey-Chambertin, Chambolle-Musigny, and Vosne Romanée, with holdings in several premier cru and grand cru vineyards. Wines labeled Domaine Michel Magnien are from vines owned directly by Michel. Frédéric Magnien maintains an average vine age of 50 years.

Tasting Notes:
The wines of Morey-Saint-Denis are often said to combine the structure of Gevrey-Chambertin with the perfume of Chambolle-Musigny. This Morey-Saint-Denis shows fresh red berries on the nose with notes of violets, spice, and earth. Old vines and heavier soils give this wine weight and richness on the palate.

Food Pairing:
Red Burgundy might be the world’s most flexible food wine. The wine’s high acidity, medium body, medium alcohol, and low tannins make it very food-friendly. Red Burgundy, with its earthy and sometimes gamey character, is a classic partner to roasted game birds, grilled duck breast, and dishes that feature mushrooms, black truffles, or are rich in umami.

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Ratings & Reviews

Vinous Media:
"The 2020 Morey-Saint-Denis Village is just missing a little delineation and terrior expression on the nose compared to Magnien's oter cuvees. The palate is medium-bodied with fimr tannins, good grip. The 2020 is firm and forthright and missing a little finesse on the finish. MAybe give this a couple of years in bottle to shave its edges?" - Neal Martin (Dec 2021)

BurgHound:
"A markedly earth-suffused nose speaks of poached plum and a plethora of floral nuances. There is good richness to the succulent, round and relatively supple middle weight flavors that possess a velvet-textured mis-palate that contrasts somewhat with the lean bitter pit fruit-inflected finish that is presently mildly edgy though this may be due to the abundant gas." (Jan 2022)