Among the most tightly allocated Burgundy in existence, today we bring you what occupies the (pipe) dreams of collectors/connoisseurs: Hubert Lignier’s exceedingly rare and breathtaking expression of three fabled Côte de Nuits terroirs. Simply put, you’ll never see an offer like this again. I understand the magnitude of this statement might have some questioning its validity, but there is no hyperbole or falsities here. Over our six years of business, we’ve never had the chance to showcase Hubert Lignier, and the select few allocations we’ve been blessed with have all come in single-digit quantities.
So, it’s no stretch to say that this has been harder to obtain than most of the world’s ‘cultiest’ labels. Getting a sample is virtually impossible (the importers themselves only taste the wine during their annual visit to the domaine) and every allocation is accounted for the moment upon arrival, sometimes well before the boat has docked. However, there was a windfall of rare and highly allocated wines when restaurants temporarily closed and defaulted on their long-held allocations, which has resulted in today’s once-per-lifetime offer: three legendary wines from a string of three legendary Côte de Nuits terroirs—Chambolle-Musingy, Morey-Saint-Denis, and Gevrey-Chambertin. Each bottle is vinified the same, but these are intricately distinct wines that are a product of the estate’s ancient raw material from each nuanced site. In other words, if you don’t believe in terroir, you will after this! Stash these rare trophies deep in your cellar and revel in the fact that you’re one of the few private consumers in the world to have access to Hubert Lignier, and the only ones with today’s first-ever terroir pack. Christmas in July, indeed.
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NOTE: Today’s three-pack is only eligible for FREE TWO-DAY AIR shipping. Due to system constraints, please select Ground Shipping at checkout to avoid being charged. Our customer service team will then upgrade you to two-day air, free of charge. Alternatively, our Summer Hold program is also available for this order.]
Established in the 1880s and passed from father to son since, Domaine Hubert Lignier has long held a reputation for wines of stellar quality and precision, but it was their emergence into the American market in the late 1970s that truly turned them into a siren call for serious Burgundy collectors. Since then, allocations have become tighter, demand has gotten fiercer, and the wines, somehow, have gotten exponentially better. What started out with a few bottlings 40 years ago has evolved into a massive lineup of premium wines that are as passionately crafted as they are fought over. Additionally, with the widening of their lineup came the winnowing of selling off juice to négociants—and today every parcel they own is bottled in their cellar.
And at just eight hectares, with only .3 added in the last 50+ years, they don’t own much vine real estate but what they do own are primely situated sites holding ancient vines. Today we’re focusing on three of the top villages in Côte de Nuits—Chambolle-Musigny, Morey-Saint-Denis, and Gevrey-Chambertin, and we’ve listed them below from south to north. They’re all crafted the same way and they’re geographically close to one another, but they are entirely different, mind-altering breeds. This is one of the finest and most elite “terroir” masterclasses money can buy!
Chambolle-Musigny “Bussières”
Downslope from 1er Cru Sentiers and Grand Cru Bonnes-Mares, “Bussières may be considered a village-level, but it’s certainly right in the epicenter of vine royalty. Lignier’s tiny old-vine parcels here—some of which were planted in 1947—total just .49 hectares, so there’s never much to go around after their strict sorting and low-yielding hand harvest. For today’s 2017, 25% of the clusters were kept intact during vinification and the wine matured for 18 months in barrel, just 20% new. As always, it’s incredibly perfumed and pretty with impressive polish that is strengthened by a powerful mineral core. A sexy wine. Decant for several hours if drinking soon but ideally lay down for another three years. Keep for 15+.
Morey-Saint-Denis “Trilogie”
Abutting Chambolle-Musigny from the north, Morey-Saint-Denis is home base for Domaine Hubert Lignier. Here, they have a collection of high-profile, even-older parcels of premium Pinot Noir. Today’s “Trilogie” contains three of their unique sites, all of which (1) combine for a grand total of one hectare and (2) lie downslope of M-S-D’s Grand Crus: Clos de la Roche, Clos de Tart, Clos des Lambrays, Clos St. Denis. Their holdings are extremely low-yielding vines planted between 1936 and 1972. Vinification was with 20% whole clusters and it saw the same aging regimen as its Chambolle sibling: 18 months in 20% new oak. Intense, grippy, dark-fruited, and pulsing with crushed mineral power, this is a heftier Pinot Noir with more of a baritone voice. A joy already but the real beauty lies down the road around its 5th-7th birthday. It will age 15-20 years, easily.
Gevrey-Chambertin “Les Seuvrées”
Gevrey-Chambertin. The most northerly of the elite Côte de Nuits appellations, and one of my favorite wines to drink. Lignier’s parcel in the “Les Seuvrées” lieu-dit is incredibly intimate with Grand Cru Mazoyères-Chambertin as it lies directly below it, on the slope. Again, their holdings here are both small and extremely old—totaling just over one hectare, with each vine between the ages of 54 and 82—and èlevage was an exact mirror of the Morey-Saint-Denis cuvée. Yet, it’s an entirely different wine, and my favorite of the three right now. There is so much muscle, power, and meatiness here, with a profound iron component, tense forest fruit, and earthy flavor that refuses to leave your palate. It’s a remarkable wine that will withstand the test of time should you let it. The Lignier’s call it a wine with “strong character but a tender heart,” and I think that’s a perfect summary for not just this wine, but their entire lineup.
