Georges Lignier | FINE+RARE

About the producer

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.

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.

About the producer

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.

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2019 Morey St Denis Clos des Ormes