Today, Laurent manages 9 hectares under vines, mainly in the communes of Morey-Saint-Denis and Gevrey-Chambertin. Although the viticulture had been free of synthetic herbicides and insecticides for over a quarter-century by the time he joined the domaine in 2006, Laurent has steered his father’s already meticulous vineyard practices in an even more rigorous direction: he has eschewed the use of chemicals entirely, and embraced organics all the way.

A lifetime of labour goes into every wine, including countless hours of toiling in the vineyard. The thin clay and limestone soil on the slopes where Lignier’s vineyards are situated isn’t conducive to vigorous growth, so this limits the crop naturally. Importantly, the sélection massale system is the only method used to propagate vines, a tradition that gives an extra touch of complexity and character to the resulting wines.

Laurent believes that fruit of the highest quality is essential in crafting better wines. At harvest time, the pickers remove any unhealthy clusters in the field, to avoid contamination of the healthy grapes in the baskets. This is followed by rigorous manual sorting upon arrival at the cuvérie, after which the grapes are destemmed and transferred to the fermentation vats. Laurent believes in an extended cold soak maceration period that lasts between 15 to 20 days prior to fermentation. 

Hubert Lignier and his son, Laurent Lignier

Hubert and Laurent Lignier make a fantastic father-and-son team. Hubert Lignier, now in his 80s, seems to be working just as hard as ever, the male equivalent of Lalou Bize-Leroy… — Neil Martin …Laurent’s négociant cuvées are among the most serious of their kind to be found in the Côte de Nuits, demonstrating genuine quality and attention to detail rather than any attempt to cash in on what is now, deservedly, a well-established and increasingly in-demand name. — William Kelley

Fermentations begin naturally, as they always have, and take place in open-top cement tanks that allow manual pigeage (punching down). The wines are never pumped — only gravity is ever employed when moving the wines. The use of new oak for the élevage is carefully restrained; the norm being approximately 20% to ­30% on the village wines and up to 50% for the Premier and Grand Crus.

Laurent Lignier is a man of gentle intelligence and thoughtfulness. He has more than come into his own as a vigneron, and his sensitively rendered wines are perhaps even closer in spirit to his father’s than the sometimes slightly more showy and forward creations of his late brother. Laurent allows the wines plenty of time in barrel to develop their distinctive personalities and harmonise their elements, bottling only after two full winters in the cellar at minimum, and after a full 24 months in most cases.

The resulting wines are fresh, fine and elegant, a pleasure to taste from the barrel to the bottle. The wines are the epitome of that classic Burgundian marriage of power and grace — concentrated and layered, yet nuanced and transparent. They possess wonderful aging potential. These wines have taught us what to look for in a bottle of great Burgundy where beauty and nobility coexist, in a space where visceral and intellectual pleasure are not mutually exclusive.

Year after year, we’re thrilled to share our allocation from Domaine Hubert Lignier. The outstanding 2019s mark yet another high point in Lignier’s esteemed history, and reinforce the domaine’s reputation for quality and absolute elegance. This is a stellar collection, and you really cannot go wrong with any of the wines across this entire range.

Due to restrictive supplies, please understand that we may have to allocate a good number of cuvées in order to ensure as equitable a distribution as possible. To qualify for items specially marked as “on allocation” wines, sufficient and balanced requests of other wines need to accompany the order.

This offer is valid until 15 March 2021. Orders will be processed subject to availability and written confirmation. Full payment is required no later than 7 days after confirmation invoice is sent in order to confirm the purchase. No reservation is allowed and no further discount. All terms and conditions apply.