Domaine Lignier-Michelot

France, Burgundy

A domaine of 11 hectares, 25% regionals, 50% Villages, 20% Premiers crus and 5% Grands Crus. Virgile Lignier worked at the domaine with his father Maurice from 1988, beginning to bottle some of the wine from 1992 (it had previously been sold to the négoce), taking over in 2000, which was the vintage when he first bottled all the domaine's production.

In the vineyard Virgile made significant changes, stopping the use of herbicides, and beginning to plough instead. Green harvesting to limits yields followed, along with greater attention to grape selection. The domaine works organically except in extremis.

The wines have a lovely combination of enough body and richness, combined with a lively clarity of expression. The old vines village cuvées are seriously good, and great value too. Going up the scale each site seems to speak very clearly of its source and there is a brightness and energy along with full, seamless fruit.

Virgile Lignier and Domaine Lignier-Michelot are really going places. This is a Morey producer that has been in the ascendant for several years now, but I feel that 2013 is in some way the vintage where Virgile “cracked it,” and will surely set the tone for what is to follow. Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Jun 2015)


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