In the vineyard
Georges Lignier has holdings in Clos de la Roche, Clos Saint-Denis, Charmes-Chambertin, Bonnes-Mares, Gevrey-Chambertin Combottes, Morey-Saint-Denis Clos des Ormes, and village wines in Marsannay, Gevrey, Morey and Chambolle, with a grand total of 16 hectares.
The Lignier family line runs through Benoît’s mother’s side, but his father’s side also has vines, with 46 acres in Volnay and 12 in Pommard. They’re old vines and he buys the grapes in, although works closely to manage the vineyards in the same way as his own.
Benoît works his old vines (averaging over 50 years in age) sustainably, with permanent grass cover between the rows and therefore no ploughing. This grass cover – first planted in 2012 – provides competition for the vines, tempering their vigour and forcing their roots deeper into the soils to seek out nutrients.
The grass also holds moisture (something particularly of use in warmer vintages) and prevents soil erosion. He is proud of the resulting biodiversity amongst his vines – with rabbits and partridge a regular sight when he’s working in the vineyard.
In the winery
Winemaking here is traditional, with the focus firmly on reds, although Benoît makes a tiny amount of Morey-Saint-Denis Blanc.
The grapes are cooled prior to fermentation (to 8˚C), normally with around 30% whole-bunch (more if the fruit’s riper, less if he doesn’t feel the stems are ripe enough) and fermented with only indigenous yeasts. He ferments the wines in tank, avoiding temperature control, but trying to keep ferments below 28˚C, pumping over twice a day.
He then cools the wine (to recreate the cool of winters that would naturally chill the wines with a traditionally timed harvest) before putting them in barrel with some lees, which he feels helps give the wines softness. He racks them once after 18 months, only adding sulphur after they’ve gone through malolactic fermentation in the spring. The village wines normally see no new oak, with 30% on the Premiers Crus and 40% on the Grands Crus.