January 21, 2024 - BWC 23 - Lignier Clos de la Roche: Served after the 98, 00, and next to the 01. Like the others, decanted for an hour-plus before drinking. This was immediately and completely beautiful on the nose, really stunning. It's still fruit, nothing secondary, although the mineral aspect is there at a bass line. But the fruit is luminous and intense, but absolutely pure and without any gloss. Mostly dark fruits, perhaps a bit of rosemary or some kind of forest-y herbal note after another hour open. It's hard to pick out specific notes because the wine was so harmonious, and this is true also of the palate. The texture is all class, just silky and serene, and so pungently flavored, such density without weight. This is a knockout of a wine, at what seems to be the beginning of a good drinking window.
January 20, 2024 - A fabulous bottle of this that needed a good 2-hours open to coalesce. The cherry perfume on the nose is intoxicating and the palate eventually reached the level of the nose showing perfectly ripe cherry fruit with excellent acidity and verve. Silky-fine and still quite youthful but drinking it now for the fabulous succulent fruit is no crime. The finish is taut and complex with superb notes of minerals and cherry spice. A complete Burgundy! 96+
September 22, 2023 - Double-decanted this 3 hours prior to consumption which really helped the wine open up. Loads of lovely cherry fruit with superb vigor and freshness. So balanced and pure with wonderful red spice notes that kick in on the finish along with taut mineral notes. Fabulous Burgundy in the early stages of its drinking window.
February 21, 2023 - A superb example of this great wine and to me showing lovely already with a great acidity and orange peel tang that keeps it really fresh and measured (especially side by side the 03). Others thought it needed more time I thoroughly enjoyed it today already but no doubt this is still on the up and could add another point or two.
January 13, 2023 - Bourgogne 2002 horisontal Grand and 1. cru winetasting dinner (20 btls) (Nordsjaelland): Garnet color. Still fruity cherry, charred wood (too much oak). Impressive pronounced intensity. High acidity, medium tannins and long finish. Without doubt potential for further ageing
94+
January 5, 2023 - Splendid nose of great Pinot: basket of crunchy red fruits and rose petals on an earthy background
The palate is that of a cold Burgundian beauty that I love so much. It is first extremely textured, vaporous like silk and with a natural presence. The structure is not to be outdone with an attack on red fruits. We bite into blueberries, cherries and raspberries at the same time. The freshness of the aromas is magnificent, this bottle is clearly 10 years younger. Then come more rocky aromas, the wet stone stands out clearly and mingles with the faded rose which takes over at the end of the mouth. The wine has a magnificent balance between laser-cut acidity and dense juice, the whole stretching perfectly. Great majestic finish where wet stone and mineral salts take over, all over a magical length.
Grand Pinot, a lord of Burgundy!
February 23, 2022 - The nose is digging two handfuls into a basket of fresh red berries and crushing them as you bring it up to smell. perfect level of acidity and generous red berry. The wine has gorgeous lively palate. The weight on the wine is well balanced and the juice of the vintage shines bright. Gave it a quick double decant before dinner for sediment.
June 5, 2021 - Solid but short of expectations. Showing mostly dark fruit and some oak. Feels like there's good material here but not really showing itself yet. 92?
September 19, 2020 - Drank this along with a 2002 Thibault Liger Belair Richebourg:
Lignier Clos de la Roche was the clear winner for me, although one of the people in our group preferred the Richebourg.
Lignier had a beautiful nose of rose petals, fruit, wood and earth, and they all layered together so nicely. It was just a joy on the nose. The palate was similarly complex with maybe a hint more earth. Very long finish. Could have drunk this wine all night.
The TLB Richebourg on the other hand was a bigger wine with much more structure in the mouth and forceful tannins. For me, the tannins cut the finish way too short. Nose was very nice but just not as complex. My sense was that this wine had tremendous potential but needed another 5-10 years to really reach it.
June 27, 2019 - 7 years since last taste. This has finally turned around and is now ready. Very complex and deep nose of dark fruit, leaves and some interesting soy, clove, etc. Masculine and brooding. Tannins still present but they play very well together with the fruit and acidity. This is sooo long and fresh. Sorry this winemaker died so young. I remember we visited him 2 months before he died. A truly majestic wine and a lasting testament to Domaine Lignier.