2008 Clos de la Roche, Grand Cru, Domaine Michel Magnien, Burgundy

Pinot Noir is probably the most frustrating, and at times infuriating, wine grape in the world. However when it is successful, it can produce some of the most sublime wines known to man. This thin-skinned grape which grows in small, tight bunches performs well on well-drained, deepish limestone based subsoils as are found on Burgundy's Côte d'Or. Pinot Noir is more susceptible than other varieties to over cropping - concentration and varietal character disappear rapidly if yields are excessive and yields as little as 25hl/ha are the norm for some climats of the Côte d`Or.

Frédéric Magnien’s grandfather, Bernard, owned four hectares of vines but delivered the grapes to the local cooperative. Bernard’s son Michel Magnien, born 1946, added various new vineyards, making a speciality of buying scrubland within the appellation borders and planting it, for example Les Evocelles in Gevrey-Chambertin, Fremières in Chambolle-Musigny and premier cru Les Chaffots in Morey-St-Denis. Only with Frédéric’s arrival was the whole crop bottled at the domaine. Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Wine Director and author of the award-winning Inside Burgundy comprehensive handbook.