DOMAINE MICHEL MAGNIEN ET FILS

Clos de la Roche 2018 - 95 points
"Layer Frédéric Magnien's biodynamic practice over the power of Clos de la Roche, the thin soils and the old vines rooted in limestone rock; age the fruit of those vines in clay pots and some of it in old barrels; then open the bottle at two years of age and prepare for delirious luxury. Savor the beauty of its low limestone growl as it tells its life story in an accent finely tuned to its home town of Morey. Translated to flavor, this is all umami compression for now, more about life force than anything else."

Chambolle-Musigny Sentiers 2018 - 94 points
"This grows at the north end of Chambolle, below Bonnes Mares where it crosses into Morey-St-Denis. Farmed under biodynamics, aged in a 50-50 combination of used barrels and clay pots, it's a wine that delivers satisfaction both in its power and grace. The ripeness of the vintage comes in the service of the wine's elegant beauty - its restraint shown in the delicacy of the aroma that turns almost explosive as it coasts through a lasting perfume. Tart apple, red pear skin and umeboshi plum are some of the highlights, while ripe tannins provide a lean, albeit luscious texture, a prediction of what's to come with age."

Gevrey-Chambertin Cazetiers 2018 - 94 points
"Just north of Clos St-Jacques, Cazetiers is an east-facing slope where Frédéric Magnien farms vines that range up to 90 years old. Like his other top wines, he vinifies part of this lot in used barrels and part in clay pots. When this combination of old-vine fruit and naked vinification hits, as it does in this Gevrey, Magnien unleashes the beautiful energy of his vineyard. Here, the texture bristles with red-fruit generosity and a mineral wash of crushed stone. Scented with summery black-raspberry flavor, saturated with freshness, this is lovely to drink as a young Burgundy and should age with grace."

Chambolle-Musigny Argillières 2018 - 93 points
"This village Chambolle grows at a lieu-dit bordering Musigny on the hill to the north, where Frédéric Magnien farms vines averaging 50 years old, certified under biodynamics. Between his farming, the aging regimen of used oak barrels (82 percent) and clay pots (18 percent) and the limestone-clay marl soils, this wine is invested with the power to seduce in its fragrance and its seemingly boundless length of flavor. The limestone influence is present from the beginning, in the lift of the floral perfume, in the vibrant acidity that brings a sunny feel to the deep raspberry savor. The tannins convey the feel of a cool cellar, still carrying a glimpse of the sun from above. It's a little Amoureuses fix for a lot less money."

Charmes-Chambertin 2018 - 91 points
"All incipient, this wine is hard to read in its youth. It's potent and lasting, the concentration given by vines planted in 1953 and 1955 on limestone breaking down into gravel. Sour-cherry notes meet blacker fruit tannins in a finish that hints at allspice, roses and resinous tobacco, all of it captured in a mineral-driven acidity. Cool and tight, this is a wine to revisit in ten years."

Bourgogne Cote d'Or Pinot Noir 2018 - 91 points
"This clean, ripe Burgundy captures the cool scents of the forest above the Côte d'Or. Frédéric Magnien blends it from his parcels in the Côte de Nuits, the vines averaging 50 years of age. He includes 20 percent of the whole clusters in the fermentation, then ages half of the wine in concrete, half in used barrels. It feels juicy and complete, with sweet red fruits and earthy undertones, a sleek Bourgogne rouge that could stand in for a village-level wine."

Clos Saint Denis 2018 - 90 points
"Grand cru in its flavor length and youthful compression, this wine shows the ripeness of the vintage in flavors of dark-chocolate syrup and raspberry ganache. But there's serious intensity here as well, the wine revealing pungent notes of balsamic, game, licorice and flowers in its tannins. It should find its more welcoming self with a decade in the cellar."

Morey-Saint-Denis 2018 - 90 points
"This seems grand for a village wine, presenting complex layers of sweet red plum and savory barnyard tones. Then rustic tannins take charge, building their power and shutting the wine down rather than opening it with air. Peppery and bitter against the sweet ripeness, those tannins need bottle age to mellow, and should reveal a compelling wine when they do."