Article: 2022 Magnien Wholesale
2022 Magnien Wholesale
One of the best things to happen to me in my 30+ years selling Burgundy has to be the introduction that was made to Charles Magnien of Domaine Henri Magnien. It was 2018, and this young man, full of energy, had taken control of his family's domaine a few years earlier and had just completed a multi-million-dollar renovation of his state-of-the-art winery in Gevrey-Chambertin.
He was literally a kid in a candy store — he could hardly sit still, and to this day still has tremendous energy. He had 7+ hectares of some of Gevrey-Chambertin's most famous terroirs and a brand-new winery to make the wines in. It's one of the reasons I go to Burgundy every year — it's the hope of meeting someone like Charles and then getting a front-row seat to watch a young vigneron hone his craft.
I've been a huge supporter of his wines from the very beginning, and to this day I receive one of his largest allocations — in fact, I get close to 1,000 bottles of Cazetières alone! He phoned the other day and told me the 2024s are ready to ship and he'd like to send them before the harvest. Who am I to say no?
I took a look at our inventory and noticed we'd set aside some quantities of the 2022 1er Crus for a few of our wholesale accounts, and those cases remain unsold. It had been a while since I'd checked in on the 2022s, so I decided a little staff tasting was in order.
There's no denying the Gevrey-Chambertin power and structure in any of these wines, especially from a vintage like 2022. What Charles did here is something he learned in 2021 — fermenting at a cooler temperature allowed for a sleeker, more transparent, site-specific style of wine, one that I think defines the Magnien style: seamless elegance.
The Estournelles sits high on the slope, and Charles' plot is right at the tree line. You can very much see the cooler quality this site produces from the poorer, thin, rocky soil. This was the most elegant and approachable of the wines we tasted, and an absolute pleasure to drink. It's in perfect balance to match the sunny disposition of this vintage.
I like to describe the Champeaux as the most approachable of the 1er Crus — this is the cuvée that has done well in the restaurants. The pop-and-pour quality is hard not to like. Fantastic aromatics, delicious midweight flavors, and a really seamless finish. An absolute pleasure to drink!
The king of the cellar is definitely the Cazetières. With 1.4 hectares — and as the only owner with a continuous line from top to bottom — this is a wine that shows the seriousness of this vineyard. The most backward of the wines, at least at this early stage in its evolution, I feel this is one that really deserves another five or so years in the cellar. All the components are clearly present: great aromatics, dense fruit, plenty of structure, and layers of flavor that require some air to start to reveal their potential. This wine rivals the best of what Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru has to offer.
So here's the deal. I had these cases earmarked for my wholesale/restaurant accounts. Since they've remained unsold, I'm going to extend that same wholesale pricing to my retail clients. You pay exactly what other retailers/restaurants that I have sold the wines to. That's a 33% discount, making these some of the most inexpensive Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru on the market. Take a look at the reviews — these are serious wines from a tremendous vintage.
There will be no reload on these — when they're gone, they're gone for good! These are unheard-of prices for the quality of these wines. Take advantage of this offer today — you can thank me later!
Subtle though not invisible oak influence is present on the more sauvage-suffused aromas of forest floor, earth and ripe dark currant. The supple, delicious and vibrant middleweight flavors possess a caressing mid-palate that contrasts somewhat with the firm, mildly austere and lightly stony finale. Good quality here.
- Burghound, 90-93
The 2022 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Champeaux ler Cru has a glorious bouquet, very floral and well-defined with raspberry and wild strawberry fruit, wonderful definition and focus. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red fruit, a pinch of white pepper, and much more backbone than Magnien's entry-level wines, with good persistency on the finish. Excellent.
- Neal Martin, 92-94
This is aromatically quite similar to the Champeaux with perhaps just a bit more elegance. The mid-palate mouthfeel of the medium-bodied flavors is finer still with more minerality as well that adds a sense of lift to the moderately austere finish where the supporting tannins are firm and slightly angular. I like the balance but this will need time to round off the structure.
- Burghound, 90-93
Whiffs of wood, forest floor, the sauvage and crushed fennel add breadth to the aromas of wild red berries, plum and violet. The round and fleshy, even plush, medium-bodied flavors possess an equally lovely texture if perhaps not quite the pungent minerality on the powerful, tautly muscular and beautifully persistent finish that also displays a touch of warmth. This beauty is built to reward longer-term keeping so at least moderate patience will be necessary.
- Burghound, 91-94
The 2022 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers ler Cru has the ripest and most sensual of Magnien's cuves on the nose, adorned with lush red cherry, raspberry and light fig scents. There's a soup on of exoticism in situ. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins, quite fleshy in the mouth with good grip and density. There is more horsepower even when contrasted against the Ruchottes-Chambertin. Lingers wonderfully on the finish. Excellent.
- Neal Martin, 93-95
The 2022 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Cazetiers offers up pretty aromas of cherries and raspberries mingled with spices, peonies and orange zest. Medium to full-bodied, ample and satiny, it's charming and sensual, with excellent depth of fruit, supple tannins and a saline finish.
- William Kelley, 92-94
