In This Newsletter:
Generations of Excellence: The Wines of Domaine Hubert Lignier
Generations of Excellence:
The Wines of Domaine Hubert Lignier.
“We aspire to make authentic and sensual wines that express their own terroir.” -Laurent Lignier
Generations of Excellence: The Wines of Domaine Hubert Lignier
Generations of Excellence:
The Wines of Domaine Hubert Lignier.
“We aspire to make authentic and sensual wines that express their own terroir.” -Laurent Lignier
What is it that sets apart the wines of Domaine Lignier?
In the 1880s, when the Phylloxera blight was destroying vineyards across France, Jacques Lignier, a viticulturist from Morey-St-Denis, saw opportunity. He purchased a neglected, run-down estate – a bargain thanks to the blight—and with his sons by his side, Jacques started the long process of restoring these desiccated vines to life.
With Generations of hard work, they expanded, acquiring prized plots in Gevrey-Chambertin, Pommard, and Nuit St Georges. Finally, under the leadership of Hubert Lignier, the Domaine blossomed. Hubert started estate bottling, and the wines we know and love today were born.
Now, with the torch passed to Hubert’s son, Laurent, the winemaking and viticulture represent generations worth of accumulated wisdom and practice guided by “Lutte Raisonee” — “sensible combat” in French. This means minimal intervention: nourishing the vines with organic compost. Tilling replaces herbicides, and green harvest pruning ensures only the best grapes make it into the final blend. In addition, they use a cold soak maceration technique, resulting in wines with incredible concentration and structure.
These are wines crafted with patience and a deep respect for the land – a testament to the enduring legacy of the Lignier family.
In the 1880s, when the Phylloxera blight was destroying vineyards across France, Jacques Lignier, a viticulturist from Morey-St-Denis, saw opportunity. He purchased a neglected, run-down estate – a bargain thanks to the blight—and with his sons by his side, Jacques started the long process of restoring these desiccated vines to life.
With Generations of hard work, they expanded, acquiring prized plots in Gevrey-Chambertin, Pommard, and Nuit St Georges. Finally, under the leadership of Hubert Lignier, the Domaine blossomed. Hubert started estate bottling, and the wines we know and love today were born.
Now, with the torch passed to Hubert’s son, Laurent, the winemaking and viticulture represent generations worth of accumulated wisdom and practice guided by “Lutte Raisonee” — “sensible combat” in French. This means minimal intervention: nourishing the vines with organic compost. Tilling replaces herbicides, and green harvest pruning ensures only the best grapes make it into the final blend. In addition, they use a cold soak maceration technique, resulting in wines with incredible concentration and structure.
These are wines crafted with patience and a deep respect for the land – a testament to the enduring legacy of the Lignier family.
We are truly excited to share them with you!
Arriving May 10th:
Domaine Hubert Lignier Bourgogne Aligote ‘Aux Poirelots’, France 2022 750ml $49 special, 5 bottles available
Winery Notes “Vines covering 40 acres planted in 1943-1944! This crisp, dry white wine can be enjoyed as an aperitif, on its own or in a Kir with Burgundy Crème de Cassis, and can also pair well with seafood or charcuterie.”
Domaine Hubert Lignier Bourgogne Pinot Noir Grand Chaliot, Burgundy, France 2022 750ml $59 special, 6 bottles available
Rosenthal Wine Merchant’s Notes “The Grand Chaliot vineyard is situated just south of Nuits-Saint-Georges, and the Ligniers work 1.25 hectares of 30-year-old vines there. Given its proximity to Nuits-Saint-Georges, this wine possesses a seriousness and complexity uncommon in a Bourgogne Rouge. As with the Passetoutgrain, this is raised in used barrels and bottled just prior to the following harvest.”
Domaine Hubert Lignier Chambolle-Musigny Les Bussieres, Cote de Nuits, France 2021 750ml $189 special, 4 bottles available
Charles Curtis MW- Decanter 93 Points “The blended premier cru ‘Vieilles Vignes’ at Hubert Lignier is always the last wine tasted before the grand crus. The grapes come from eighty-year-old vines in the lieu-dit Les Faconnières that run down into the next lieu-dit downslope called Les Chenevery. Both are below Clos de la Roche; Laurent Lignier calls the wine his ‘little Clos de la Roche’. The wine shows ripe plummy fruit with a firm underpinning of earth, mineral, smoke and cigar leaf. The texture is tannic and dense, and the length is impressive.”
Domaine Hubert Lignier Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, France 2021 750ml $599 special, 2 bottles available
Winery Notes “Soil deeper than in Clos de la Roche and composed of clay-limestone and sand. The vineyards are located next to Les Combottes, to the south of Charmes Chambertin. The wines are characterized by floral scents, they are often elegant and delicate yet also possess the power and length on the palate worthy of a rather charming Grand Cru.”
Domaine Hubert Lignier Gevrey-Chambertin Regnard, Cotes de Nuits, France 2021 750ml $119 special, 3 bottles available
Winery Notes Vines are facing South, leading to beautiful ripeness. The result is a pleasant, deliciously fruity wine. Generous when young, they also have good cellar-ageing potential.
Domaine Hubert Lignier Gevrey-Chambertin Les Seuvrees, Cote de Nuits, France 2021 750ml $135 special, 3 bottles available
Rosenthal Wine Merchant’s Notes “Les Seuvrées sits just below the grand cru Mazoyeres-Chambertin on the slope, bordering the northern edge of Morey-Saint-Denis. The Ligniers own a hectare of very old vines here, planted between 1938 and 1966, and this cuvée displays a darker, more rugged side of the appellation, with meaty depth and intense concentration. Laurent employs approximately 20% new barrels for the élevage here.”
Domaine Hubert Lignier La Riotte, Morey St Denis Premier Cru, France 2021 750ml $219 special, 3 bottles available
Charles Curtis MW-Decanter 92 Points “Yields in the premier cru La Riotte were particularly low – just 25% of a normal harvest. This is doubly unfortunate since this was among the best of the premier crus in the cellar in 2021. The ripe, supple blackberry and plum fruit aromas were open and accessible, with notes of violets and earth. This early-ripening site was among those most severely damaged by frost in 2021. However, the concentrated wine it produced will doubtless stand the test of time.”
Domaine Hubert Lignier Morey-Saint-Denis Premier Cru Vieilles Vignes, Cote de Nuits, France 2021 750ml $289 special, 2 bottles available
Charles Curtis MW-Decanter 93 Points “The blended premier cru ‘Vieilles Vignes’ at Hubert Lignier is always the last wine tasted before the grand crus. The grapes come from eighty-year-old vines in the lieu-dit Les Faconnières that run down into the next lieu-dit downslope called Les Chenevery. Both are below Clos de la Roche; Laurent Lignier calls the wine his ‘little Clos de la Roche’. The wine shows ripe plummy fruit with a firm underpinning of earth, mineral, smoke and cigar leaf. The texture is tannic and dense, and the length is impressive.”
Domaine Hubert Lignier Les Chaffots, Morey-Saint-Denis Premier Cru, France 2021 750ml $219 special, 2 bottles available
Winery Notes “Located just above the Clos Saint-Denis Grand Cru, at 330 metres altitude, on a hillside with a east-southeast incline. The vineyards receive an exceptional amount of sunlight as well as freshness due to the altitude and the nearby valley. The wine is among the strongest-coloured of the domaine’s wines and nicely balanced with a pure, taut character and mature tannins. Excellent cellar-ageing potential.”
Domaine Hubert Lignier Morey-Saint-Denis Tres Girard, Cote de Nuits, France 2021 750ml $119 special, 3 bottles available
Decanter 93 Points “The fruit character here is ripe, if somewhat rustic, with more black fruit than red. The palate has plenty of tannic grip and satisfying length at this level. It should drink well on release, but it will improve with short- to mid-term cellaring. The wine is made from purchased grapes from this site at the base of the village, mostly destemmed and gently fermented before ageing in cask.”
Domaine Hubert Lignier Morey-Saint-Denis Trilogie, Cote de Nuits, France 2021 750ml $135 special, 2 bottles available
Rosenthal Wine Merchant’s Notes “Lignier’s “Trilogie” is produced from small holdings of very old plantings in three different Morey-Saint-Denis lieux-dits: Chenevery, Clos Solon, and Porroux, with vines planted between 1936 and 1972. There is good intensity of structure to this wine, with a deep mineral thrust and a wild spice element, yet it preserves a sense of lift and drive.”
Domaine Hubert Lignier Bourgogne Passetoutgrain ‘Aux Poirelots’, Burgundy, France 2022 750ml $39 special, 3 bottles available
Rosenthal Wine Merchant’s Notes “Lignier’s Passetoutgrain is benchmark of its category, offering the finesse of far loftier appellations and embodying the authoritative depth of the house style in miniature form. The wine comprises 0.4 hectares worth of vines: 60% Gamay (from 1960) and 40% Pinot Noir (from 1998), planted within the confines of Morey-Saint-Denis proper in a site called Aux Poirelots. Aged entirely in used barrels, this cuvée is bottled without fining or filtration just before the next harvest.”
Domaine Hubert Lignier Pommard En Brescul, Cote de Beaune, France 2021 750ml $135 special, 2 bottles available
Winery Notes “Vines planted in 1997, acquired in 2014. Covering an area of 41 ares, this terraced parcel on the north side of Pommard overlooks the town of Beaune and the Clos des Mouches. The vines are planted on 3 terraces due to the strong slopes on this area. Weakened by three years of hail (2012, 2013, 2014), its youth and vigour were able to give it new life and hope. The wines express minerality and freshness.”
Domaine Hubert Lignier Saint-Romain Sous Le Chateau, Cote de Beaune, Burgundy 2022 750ml $75 special, 3 bottles available
Rosenthal Wine Merchant’s Notes “Hubert and Laurent began producing a Saint-Romain Blanc in 2004, the year Romain passed away, and they continue to make it in his honor today, sourcing the fruit from a 0.3-hectare parcel in the steep, southeast-facing Sous le Chateau vineyard. This site’s stony, poor-soiled terrain yields a wine of notable minerality, framed by luscious pit fruits and a tense acidity typical of the appellation. This cuvée undergoes alcoholic and malolactic fermentation in barrel (20% new), and rests on its fine lees for 15 months with minimal batonnage before bottling.”
Winery Notes “Vines covering 40 acres planted in 1943-1944! This crisp, dry white wine can be enjoyed as an aperitif, on its own or in a Kir with Burgundy Crème de Cassis, and can also pair well with seafood or charcuterie.”
Domaine Hubert Lignier Bourgogne Pinot Noir Grand Chaliot, Burgundy, France 2022 750ml $59 special, 6 bottles available
Rosenthal Wine Merchant’s Notes “The Grand Chaliot vineyard is situated just south of Nuits-Saint-Georges, and the Ligniers work 1.25 hectares of 30-year-old vines there. Given its proximity to Nuits-Saint-Georges, this wine possesses a seriousness and complexity uncommon in a Bourgogne Rouge. As with the Passetoutgrain, this is raised in used barrels and bottled just prior to the following harvest.”
Domaine Hubert Lignier Chambolle-Musigny Les Bussieres, Cote de Nuits, France 2021 750ml $189 special, 4 bottles available
Charles Curtis MW- Decanter 93 Points “The blended premier cru ‘Vieilles Vignes’ at Hubert Lignier is always the last wine tasted before the grand crus. The grapes come from eighty-year-old vines in the lieu-dit Les Faconnières that run down into the next lieu-dit downslope called Les Chenevery. Both are below Clos de la Roche; Laurent Lignier calls the wine his ‘little Clos de la Roche’. The wine shows ripe plummy fruit with a firm underpinning of earth, mineral, smoke and cigar leaf. The texture is tannic and dense, and the length is impressive.”
Domaine Hubert Lignier Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, France 2021 750ml $599 special, 2 bottles available
Winery Notes “Soil deeper than in Clos de la Roche and composed of clay-limestone and sand. The vineyards are located next to Les Combottes, to the south of Charmes Chambertin. The wines are characterized by floral scents, they are often elegant and delicate yet also possess the power and length on the palate worthy of a rather charming Grand Cru.”
Domaine Hubert Lignier Gevrey-Chambertin Regnard, Cotes de Nuits, France 2021 750ml $119 special, 3 bottles available
Winery Notes Vines are facing South, leading to beautiful ripeness. The result is a pleasant, deliciously fruity wine. Generous when young, they also have good cellar-ageing potential.
Domaine Hubert Lignier Gevrey-Chambertin Les Seuvrees, Cote de Nuits, France 2021 750ml $135 special, 3 bottles available
Rosenthal Wine Merchant’s Notes “Les Seuvrées sits just below the grand cru Mazoyeres-Chambertin on the slope, bordering the northern edge of Morey-Saint-Denis. The Ligniers own a hectare of very old vines here, planted between 1938 and 1966, and this cuvée displays a darker, more rugged side of the appellation, with meaty depth and intense concentration. Laurent employs approximately 20% new barrels for the élevage here.”
Domaine Hubert Lignier La Riotte, Morey St Denis Premier Cru, France 2021 750ml $219 special, 3 bottles available
Charles Curtis MW-Decanter 92 Points “Yields in the premier cru La Riotte were particularly low – just 25% of a normal harvest. This is doubly unfortunate since this was among the best of the premier crus in the cellar in 2021. The ripe, supple blackberry and plum fruit aromas were open and accessible, with notes of violets and earth. This early-ripening site was among those most severely damaged by frost in 2021. However, the concentrated wine it produced will doubtless stand the test of time.”
Domaine Hubert Lignier Morey-Saint-Denis Premier Cru Vieilles Vignes, Cote de Nuits, France 2021 750ml $289 special, 2 bottles available
Charles Curtis MW-Decanter 93 Points “The blended premier cru ‘Vieilles Vignes’ at Hubert Lignier is always the last wine tasted before the grand crus. The grapes come from eighty-year-old vines in the lieu-dit Les Faconnières that run down into the next lieu-dit downslope called Les Chenevery. Both are below Clos de la Roche; Laurent Lignier calls the wine his ‘little Clos de la Roche’. The wine shows ripe plummy fruit with a firm underpinning of earth, mineral, smoke and cigar leaf. The texture is tannic and dense, and the length is impressive.”
Domaine Hubert Lignier Les Chaffots, Morey-Saint-Denis Premier Cru, France 2021 750ml $219 special, 2 bottles available
Winery Notes “Located just above the Clos Saint-Denis Grand Cru, at 330 metres altitude, on a hillside with a east-southeast incline. The vineyards receive an exceptional amount of sunlight as well as freshness due to the altitude and the nearby valley. The wine is among the strongest-coloured of the domaine’s wines and nicely balanced with a pure, taut character and mature tannins. Excellent cellar-ageing potential.”
Domaine Hubert Lignier Morey-Saint-Denis Tres Girard, Cote de Nuits, France 2021 750ml $119 special, 3 bottles available
Decanter 93 Points “The fruit character here is ripe, if somewhat rustic, with more black fruit than red. The palate has plenty of tannic grip and satisfying length at this level. It should drink well on release, but it will improve with short- to mid-term cellaring. The wine is made from purchased grapes from this site at the base of the village, mostly destemmed and gently fermented before ageing in cask.”
Domaine Hubert Lignier Morey-Saint-Denis Trilogie, Cote de Nuits, France 2021 750ml $135 special, 2 bottles available
Rosenthal Wine Merchant’s Notes “Lignier’s “Trilogie” is produced from small holdings of very old plantings in three different Morey-Saint-Denis lieux-dits: Chenevery, Clos Solon, and Porroux, with vines planted between 1936 and 1972. There is good intensity of structure to this wine, with a deep mineral thrust and a wild spice element, yet it preserves a sense of lift and drive.”
Domaine Hubert Lignier Bourgogne Passetoutgrain ‘Aux Poirelots’, Burgundy, France 2022 750ml $39 special, 3 bottles available
Rosenthal Wine Merchant’s Notes “Lignier’s Passetoutgrain is benchmark of its category, offering the finesse of far loftier appellations and embodying the authoritative depth of the house style in miniature form. The wine comprises 0.4 hectares worth of vines: 60% Gamay (from 1960) and 40% Pinot Noir (from 1998), planted within the confines of Morey-Saint-Denis proper in a site called Aux Poirelots. Aged entirely in used barrels, this cuvée is bottled without fining or filtration just before the next harvest.”
Domaine Hubert Lignier Pommard En Brescul, Cote de Beaune, France 2021 750ml $135 special, 2 bottles available
Winery Notes “Vines planted in 1997, acquired in 2014. Covering an area of 41 ares, this terraced parcel on the north side of Pommard overlooks the town of Beaune and the Clos des Mouches. The vines are planted on 3 terraces due to the strong slopes on this area. Weakened by three years of hail (2012, 2013, 2014), its youth and vigour were able to give it new life and hope. The wines express minerality and freshness.”
Domaine Hubert Lignier Saint-Romain Sous Le Chateau, Cote de Beaune, Burgundy 2022 750ml $75 special, 3 bottles available
Rosenthal Wine Merchant’s Notes “Hubert and Laurent began producing a Saint-Romain Blanc in 2004, the year Romain passed away, and they continue to make it in his honor today, sourcing the fruit from a 0.3-hectare parcel in the steep, southeast-facing Sous le Chateau vineyard. This site’s stony, poor-soiled terrain yields a wine of notable minerality, framed by luscious pit fruits and a tense acidity typical of the appellation. This cuvée undergoes alcoholic and malolactic fermentation in barrel (20% new), and rests on its fine lees for 15 months with minimal batonnage before bottling.”