2018 Lignier-Michelot Gevrey Chambertin Cuvee Bertin, Burgundy

Comes mostly from a parcel of .53 ha of vines planted in 1969 in Les Seuvrees which borders on to Grand cru Charmes Chambertin close to the Morey St Denis border. About 200 dozen produced.

”(from Les Seuvrées and Les Murots; 90% whole cluster). There is a touch of thesauvage present on the nose of wild dark berries, forest floor and again, plenty of floral elements. The highly energetic and well-detailed flavors exude a subtle salinity on the refreshing and sneaky long and markedly firm finish that is shaped by relatively fine-grained tannins. This needs to develop a bit more depth but it is already a quality effort. Drink 2028+

88-91 points burghound.com January 2020

Containing 100% whole bunch, the 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin "Cuvée Bertin" offers ripe strawberries and red cherry on the nose, which is very airy in style, if lacking a little complexity. The medium-bodied palate delivers crunchy red berry fruit laced with tea leaves and bay leaf, fine delineation and a fresh, lightly spiced finish. Hopefully the aromatics will up their game.

89-91 Neal Martin vinous.com January 2020

“Virgile Lignier’s take on the 2018 vintage was that “it has turned out to be a pleasant surprise because given how hot the growing season was I frankly expected heavy and over ripe wines but that’s not at all the case as the wines really changed during the course of the élevage. We had a huge fruit set and it was absolutely necessary to control yields and I debudded aggressively, in fact my yields in 2018 are about the same as they were in 2016. I began picking on the 8th of September and the fruit was clean and ripe, partially because the season was so warm but also because my yields were relatively low. Potential alcohols ranged from 12.8 to 14.8% though the highest were the regional vineyards as I picked them last. I used a very high percentage of whole clusters while vinifying softly, though over a longer period, as it was clear from the outset that it would be easy to extract plenty of tannin. As to the wines, they’re generous and seductive but they do not lack for either density or aging ability. They’re mostly very good but a few of them, in my view, are genuinely excellent. Perhaps their most surprising aspect is how clearly the terroir is expressed as that’s not always the case with very warm vintages.” Fans of the domaine will be very pleased to learn that as of 2019 the area farmed in Clos de la Roche will increase from .29 ha to .74 ha. Lignier also noted that the 2017s reviewed below were bottled in February 2019. Note: Lignier has a small négociant activity and the wines are sold under the name Maison Virgile Lignier.“

Burghound.com January 2020