Domaine Georges Lignier has a long history stretching back to the 20th century. Georges – a cousin to Hubert Lignier – set out to establish the finest and most important domaine in Morey-Saint-Denis.
Today the property is in the hands of Georges’s grandson Benoît Stelhy, who took over the reins in 2007, having worked alongside his uncle Bernard (who took over from Georges) since 2002.
The domaine has 16 hectares of impressively old vines – averaging over 50 years in age. Some plots date from the 1920s, as Benoît’s grandmother refused to let her husband loose with his new-fangled contraption, a tractor, on those that belonged to her family. Amongst the property’s most prestigious holdings is a swathe of Clos Saint-Denis – where Georges Lignier is the most significant owner, with almost 1.5 hectares – alongside plots of Clos de la Roche, Bonnes-Mares and Charmes-Chambertin.
Since Benoît took over, quality at this address has been on the rise – largely thanks to his work in the vineyard, as well as advancements in the winery. He spends much of his time amongst his vines, encouraging biodiversity and working with nature to nurture them. He’s notable in amongst his neighbours for having year-round grass cover in his vineyards – to encourage competition, prevent erosion and keep moisture in the soils. He is not organic or biodynamic and doesn’t seek to be, feeling that these labels aren’t enough, and that vignerons need to go beyond such arbitrary designations with their philosophy.