1999 Michel Magnien Clos St. Denis

Domaine Michel Magnien has a long and somewhat complicated history typical of the family domaines of Burgundy. Michel Magnien is a fourth-generation producer who worked for decades with his father, sometimes as a tenant farmer. Today his son Frederic, who also has his own domaine, is part of the business, along with Dominique, Michel’s wife. Domaine Michel Magnien owns about 25 acres of Grand Cru, Premier Cru and Villages vineyards and it is based in Morey Saint Denis. There are important parcels in Gevrey-Chambertin, Les Cazetiers, Morey Saint Denis, Clos de la Roche and Clos Saint Denis. Robert M. Parker Jr. has noted that the wines of Michel Magnien possess “a good deal of charm and character.”

Clos St.-Denis is a 16-acre Grand Cru vineyard in the Morey St.-Denis appellation in Northern Burgundy. In fact the village of Morey St.-Denis gets part of its name from this vineyard. In 1927 the village voted to add St.-Denis to Morey. Like its neighboring Grand Cru vineyards, Clos St.-Denis is rocky, well-drained, and composed largely of limestone and pebbles. Robert M. Parker Jr. has written that three of “the greatest Burgundies I have ever tasted” came from this vineyard. (They were produced by Dujac, Ponsot and Georges Lignier.) The largest landholders are Georges Lignier, with 3.7 acres; Dujac, with 3.68 acres; and Drouhin, with 1.8 acres.

This red wine is relatively light and can pair with a wide variety of foods. The grape prefers cooler climates and the wine is most often associated with Burgundy, Champagne and the U.S. west coast. Regional differences make it nearly as fickle as it is flexible.