Dom. Jean-Paul et Stephane Magnien
Vieilles Vignes
Chambolle Musigny
2019

The producer

Stéphane's domaine is a small but notable estate, covering just 4.5 hectares, with one hectare dedicated to regional wines like Passetoutgrains and Bourgogne. Despite its size, the domaine boasts two Grands Crus and a rich history of natural farming, never using pesticides and cultivating mostly old 'Pinot tordu' vines. These twisted Pinot vines, known for their gnarly stems, are less vigorous than modern clones and are often credited with producing wines of greater finesse. Stéphane practices minimal intervention, only chaptalizing to extend fermentations, as the old vines produce low alcohol, typically around 12-13%. Wood use is careful and restrained, with a maximum of 50% new wood on the Grands Crus, 25% on Premiers Crus, and just 15% on village appellations, aged for one year before moving to older barrels. Stéphane's winemaking philosophy focuses on creating wines with richness, but not overly heavy or angular, aiming for a clean, refreshing finish that leaves the palate wanting another glass. He destems 100%, allows for a six-day maceration, and employs a classical fermentation process with just two pigeages and a little remontage at the end.

The wine

The Domaine Jean-Paul et Stéphane Magnien Vieilles Vignes Chambolle-Musigny 2019 is a finely crafted Burgundy wine that showcases the elegance and depth characteristic of old-vine Pinot Noir. Sourced from mature vines, this wine offers a complex bouquet of red berries, floral notes, and subtle spices, underpinned by a hint of earthiness. On the palate, it is well-balanced, with silky tannins and a lively acidity that enhances the purity of the fruit. The 2019 vintage is particularly noteworthy for its concentration and finesse, reflecting the excellent growing conditions of the year. This wine is a true expression of the Chambolle-Musigny terroir, with a long, graceful finish that promises further development with aging.

We choose our wines based on a range of criteria (see how we choose our wines) of which critic scores is just one. Rather than simply highlight the best score to promote a wine, our average critic score is calculated from the scores provided by several respected wine critics, who we follow for specific regions. They do not represent all critic scores and, wherever possible, we try and give more weight to more recent reviews. Where appropriate we consider market-based scores like Global Wine Score or Wine Searcher Average scores.

As a rule, we look to offer wines that achieve a 92/100 average critic score or better and frankly a lot of very good wines simply don’t make the cut. As a high-end provider we want to reflect that positioning in the quality of wines we offer. Such wines are only a tiny fraction of those generally on offer in the market. We believe that an average score is a more conservative and representative approach, but it is still subjective and only offered as a guide to our customers, who will (and should) do their own research. We will add individual critic scores to our website in the future.