Domaine Hubert Lignier Clos de la Roche Grand Cru

The king of the cellar, Lignier’s 2017 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru is superb, wafting from the glass with a complex bouquet of red and black cherries, cassis, warm spices, incense and grilled game bird. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, layered and complete with striking depth and dimension, rich but satiny structuring tannins and excellent structural tension at the core with a long and penetrating finish.

This is a very successful vintage for Laurent Lignier, who has produced a lovely set of wines from both his domaine holdings and négociant sources. Winemaking is pretty classical, with a short cold maceration, two to three weeks’ maceration with one pigéage and one rémontage per day, and maturation in barrels, some third of which are new—if possible, without racking. Up to one-third stems may be retained, depending on the cuvée, but the influence is subtle and judicious.