Domaine Stéphane Magnien Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Aux Petites Noix 2019

Domaine Stéphane Magnien Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Aux Petites Noix reaches us as an estate cellar release.

The blend leans on Gruenchers and Clos-Baulet, a pair of premier cru parcels on heavy clay put in between 1974 and 1978, aged a year in wood with a modest share of new casks and bottled without fining.

Bottle age has settled the tannins and pulled the fruit towards dried cherry and undergrowth. Pour at 16-18°C beside slow-roast lamb, coq au vin or a board of charcuterie.

*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 premier cru red Burgundy with bottle age: Pinot Noir that has softened and turned savoury
Alcohol Percentage: 13%
Closure: Cork
Size: 750mL
Appellation: Morey-Saint-Denis 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: A blend of two premier cru parcels, Les Gruenchers and Clos Baulet, on heavy clay with vines planted between 1974 and 1978
Aging: A year in French oak with a modest share of new casks, bottled without fining; kept in the domaine's cellar since bottling
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.

Aux Petites Noix, named after walnut trees, brings together small premier cru plots that the family blends into one wine; in 2019 these were Les Gruenchers and Clos Baulet, on heavy clay planted in the mid-1970s. This bottle is an estate cellar release, kept at the domaine since bottling, and the years in bottle have settled the wine into a softer, more savoury style that is ready to enjoy now.

Lamb: Navarin of lamb with spring vegetables
Poultry: Chicken braised in red wine with mushrooms
Charcuterie: A board of saucisson, jambon and terrine
Vegetarian: Puy lentils with roast carrots and herbs

Pierre-qui-Vire: A washed-rind cheese made by the monks of La Pierre-qui-Vire abbey in Burgundy's Morvan hills, gentle with a mature red
Saint-Nectaire: Earthy and supple, from the Auvergne
Beaufort: Firm and rich, with the depth for bottle-aged Pinot Noir
Pont-l'Évêque: A mild, creamy washed-rind cheese from Normandy

Navarin d'Agneau (French Lamb Stew with Spring Vegetables)

Ingredients (Serves 6):

• 1.2kg boned lamb shoulder, cut into 5cm pieces
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 brown onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 750mL chicken or lamb stock
• 1 bouquet garni (thyme, bay, rosemary, parsley)
• 12 baby carrots, trimmed
• 8 baby turnips, trimmed
• 500g small new potatoes, halved
• 150g fresh or frozen peas
• Salt, pepper and chopped parsley

Instructions:

1. Season the lamb and brown it in batches in the oil in a large casserole. Remove.
2. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, then the garlic. Return the lamb, sprinkle over the flour and stir for 1 minute. Stir in the tomato paste.
3. Add the stock and bouquet garni, bring to a simmer, cover and cook gently for 1 hour 15 minutes.
4. Add the carrots, turnips and potatoes and cook for 30 minutes more, until the lamb and vegetables are tender.
5. Add the peas for the last 5 minutes. Skim off any fat, season and scatter with parsley. Serve straight from the pot.

Navarin is a classic French lamb stew, traditionally made in spring when the first young vegetables appear, though it is just as welcome in cooler months. The tender lamb and sweet vegetables are savoury without being heavy, a good match for a premier cru Pinot Noir with bottle age that has softened and turned savoury.