Domaine Stéphane Magnien Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Sentiers 2024

Domaine Stéphane Magnien Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Sentiers sits immediately east of the Bonnes-Mares grand cru.

The holding covers 0.42 hectares of deep, free-draining clay-limestone with plantings spread from 1927 through to 1980; a fifth of the barrels are new across twelve months, followed by a settling period in tank.

Violet and rose sit above strawberry and raspberry, the attack fresh and precise, the texture soft and silky. Best at 16-18°C with duck, guinea fowl or a piece of aged Comté.

*Every effort is made to ensure the current vintage is accurate; however, variations can occur. If you are after a specific vintage, please contact us prior to ordering.

Type: Red Wine
Style: Medium-bodied, Dry
Grape Varietal: Pinot Noir
Tastes Like: A fine, silky red Burgundy: Pinot Noir in its most graceful Chambolle-Musigny style
Alcohol Percentage: 13%
Closure: Cork
Size: 750mL
Appellation: Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru AOC (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée, France's protected designation of origin; premier cru is the second-highest of Burgundy's four vineyard ranks)
Region: Côte de Nuits, Burgundy, France
Terroir: Les Sentiers, immediately east of the Bonnes-Mares grand cru: 0.42 hectares of deep, free-draining clay and limestone, with vines planted between 1927 and 1980
Aging: Twelve months in French oak barrels, a fifth of them new, then a settling period in tank before bottling without fining or filtration
Serving Temperature: 16-18℃

Domaine Stéphane Magnien is a small family estate in Morey-Saint-Denis, in Burgundy's Côte de Nuits, with its cellar in the 18th-century family house just behind the village church. Stéphane is the fourth generation, after Victor, Félix and his father Jean-Paul. Félix made the wine but sold it to négociants (merchant houses); Jean-Paul was the first to bottle it under the family name, and Stéphane took over in 2008 after several years working alongside him. The domaine is tiny, under five hectares across village, premier cru and grand cru sites in Morey-Saint-Denis, Chambolle-Musigny and Gevrey-Chambertin, and many of the vines are old, a good share of them the small-berried Pinot Tordu. The vineyards are ploughed and no herbicides are used, the wines are fermented with natural yeasts, and they are bottled without fining or filtration.

The family's Les Sentiers vines are a patchwork of plantings, the oldest put in in 1927 and the youngest in 1980, on a 0.42-hectare plot right next to Bonnes-Mares. After twelve months in barrel the wine rests in tank so it can settle naturally before bottling, which is how the domaine avoids fining or filtering. The 2024 is the newest release of this premier cru and is built to age.

Starters: Baked eggs with mushrooms and cream
Poultry: Roast guinea fowl with bacon and cabbage
Duck: Seared duck breast with cherries
Vegetarian: Wild mushroom risotto

Comté (24 months): Nutty and savoury, a classic with a fine premier cru from the Côte de Nuits
Ami du Chambertin: A washed-rind cheese made in the neighbouring village of Gevrey-Chambertin
Abondance: A firm Alpine cheese with a supple, buttery texture
Coulommiers: A small, mild cousin of Brie that won't overwhelm a delicate red

Œufs en Cocotte aux Champignons (Baked Eggs with Mushrooms and Cream)

Ingredients (Serves 4 as a starter):

• 4 large free-range eggs
• 250g mixed mushrooms (Swiss brown, pine or slippery jacks in season), finely sliced
• 1 French shallot, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 30g butter, plus extra for greasing
• 125mL thickened cream
• 40g Comté, finely grated
• 1 tbsp chopped chives
• Salt, pepper and toasted sourdough soldiers to serve

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180℃ and butter four 200mL ramekins.
2. Melt the butter in a frying pan, add the shallot and cook for 2 minutes, then add the mushrooms and garlic and cook over high heat until golden and any liquid has evaporated. Season well.
3. Divide the mushrooms between the ramekins, add 1 tbsp cream to each, then crack an egg into each. Spoon over the rest of the cream and scatter with the Comté.
4. Stand the ramekins in a baking dish, pour in boiling water to come halfway up the sides and bake for 12-14 minutes, until the whites are set and the yolks still runny.
5. Sprinkle with chives, season and serve at once with the toast soldiers.

Œufs en cocotte are a classic French bistro starter, and in Burgundy they are often made with autumn mushrooms from the woods above the vineyards. The earthy mushrooms and soft, creamy eggs make a gentle partner for a young Chambolle premier cru, letting its finesse come through without competing with it.