Hubert Lignier-Clos de Roche-Grand Cru 2017 (RP95-97)

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, concluding with a long and penetrating finish. It’s a magical wine that will merit ardent pursuit when it’s released next year. 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. As readers will know, winemaking is pretty classical at this address, 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. Unsurprisingly, the domaine’s core holdings in Chambolle, Morey and Gevrey have produced the most consistent and exciting results this year, but Laurent’s négociant cuvées are among the most serious of their kind to be found in the Cote 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.