Henri Magnien - Celebrate Felix Magnien
There is much to celebrate at Domaine Henri Magnien as Charles’s son, Felix Magnien was born October 11, 2024 at 4.160 kg. Charles tells me he already feels like an old soul, and it's just a matter of time before Felix takes his first steps working alongside his father in the vineyards.
I’ve been working with Domaine Henri Magnien since the 2019 vintage, watching Charles Magnien pour himself into his domaine. It has been truly inspiring! For those who are not familiar with Magnien, I’ve written extensively in emails and blogs about his efforts, struggles and profound success at such a young age.
The wines typically arrive in February and while they are approachable, they are excited after their trip. It really takes a few months for them to settle down from their journey but by summertime, they begin to integrate and by fall they become seamless. They’ve been dreamy on tastings….recently, I joined my Santa Barbara rep for an afternoon showing the Magnien wines. I could not have been more impressed or delighted with the reception. We’ve placed Magnien in Michelin starred restaurants, the best hotel bars and restaurants and are working with specialty, boutique wine retailers. Magnien has been a hit! There is a fruit forward delicious quality, perfectly balanced with a fresh streak of minerality.
They are such a pleasure to drink now, even on the young side, but I’m asking the buyers who trust me…give them a couple years in the cellar. They deserve a few years to become a fully formed expression of the rarefied, glorious terrier from which they come.
Charles Magnien is no doubt a rising star of the next generation of great Gevrey Chambertin producers. I’ve tasted my share of Great Gevrey Producers, Rousseau, Bachelet, Fourrrier; you name it, I’ve had the wine. YES, I’m old and cynical. But when I compare what Charles is making against the reference point names, his wines must be included in the conversation. Just take a look at the other big name wines from Neal Martin’s Burgfest Report - you may be surprised to see some of your favorites a bit farther down the list from Magnien. The quality of his vineyards are enviable! His work in the vines and in the cellar is first rate. Do not let any of this come as a surprise, unless this is the first email of mine that you’ve read.
“Neal Martin reported on the “Annual Burgfest 2020” where 200+ wines from the 2020 vintage were evaluated blind. Henri Magnien’s wines showed incredibly well, Estournelles St Jacques (95 pts), Lavaux St Jacques (93 pts) and his Ruchottes Chambertin (97 pts). I’m sure the Cazetiers would have scored highly as well had it not been for a flawed bottle - anyone that knows the wines knows this is one of his best cuvees. The crazy thing is, as good as the 2020’s are, his 2022s are even better. He discovered that fermenting at a cooler temperature for a longer period of time allowed him to make a wine with more precision and finesse ”
Over the past 7-8 years, Charles Magnien has accomplished more than many do in a lifetime. He has:
Built a brand new state of the art winery
Established organic farming techniques
Perfected the blend of wood and toast working closely with his barrel maker
Built and implemented new tools for tracking bottles and sales (marketing and accounting are not normally a farmer’s strong point)
Obsessed over the the source and orientation of the corks in relation to which side touches the wine
