HISTORY OF DOMAINE: The Domaine Hubert Lignier has long had a reputation for its fine wines known for their concentration, depth and structure. We have had the extraordinary good fortune of commencing our relationship as the US importer for this estate with the 1978 vintage. At that time, Hubert Lignier was bottling small amounts of two different cuvées of Morey St. Denis (the village bottling and the 1er Cru "Vieilles Vignes") as well as the fabled Clos de la Roche. As our relationship progressed, more and more of the secrets of the cellar found their way into bottle rather than being sold off to negociants. Finally, in 1991, with the accession of Romain Lignier, Hubert's son, to a role of prime importance, every appellation held by the domain, from the most simple (Aligote & Passetoutgrain) to the most regal (Charmes Chambertin & Clos de la Roche) is now bottled at the estate.

COMPOSITION OF DOMAINE: The domaine owns 8 hectares in the neighboring villages of Morey, Gevrey and Chambolle (see details below for an exact accounting by appellation). According to Romain, "the ultimate quality of the wine depends on the health of the grapes". The Ligniers follow the principles of "lutte raisonnée" (sensible combat) in their viticulture: chemical pesticides are used only when absolutely necessary and only products that do not harm beneficial insects are chosen. Yields vary from 20 to 55 hl/ha depending on the conditions of the growing season and the appellation. The thin, clay and limestone soil on the slopes is not conducive to vigorous growth and limits the crop naturally. A "green harvest" is used when necessary to further manage production to ensure perfect maturity. Young vines are trained using the Cordon de Royat (spur training) system, which helps control the vigor and yields as well. Of critical importance, the "sélection massale" system (i.e. replacing missing vines with cuttings from the same vineyard) is the only method used to propagate vines, a tradition that gives an extra touch of complexity and character to the resulting wines. At harvest time, the pickers remove any unhealthy clusters in the field, to avoid contamination of the healthy grapes in the baskets.

Bourgogne Aligoté..............................................................2/3 hectare
Bourgogne Passetoutgrain (gamay + pinot noir)................._ hectare
Bourgogne Rouge...............................................................2/3 hectare
Morey Saint Denis...............................................................2 hectares
Chambolle Musigny............................................................._ hectare
Gevrey Chambertin.............................................................1 hectare
Morey Saint Denis 1er Cru..................................................1 _ hectares
(Les Chaffots, La Riotte, Chenevery, Faconnieres)
Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru (Les Baudes)........................1/5 hectare
Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru (Aux Combottes)...................1/5 hectare
Charmes Chambertin Grand Cru........................................1/10 hectare
Clos de la Roche Grand Cru................................................1 hectare

METHOD OF VINIFICATION: Romain Lignier essentially follows his father's traditional vinification practices. Grapes are destemmed and fermentation takes place in open-top cement tanks that allow pigéage (carried out by Romain and a few of his friends the old-fashioned way, by actually climbing into the tanks and pushing down the cap with their legs). Only natural yeasts are used. Romain extended the cold soak maceration period prior to fermentation, which he believes allows greater extraction (contrary to his father who believed that the best extraction takes place during the alcoholic fermentation). Fermentation is rather long and generally lasts around 15 to 20 days following the cold soak of 5 days. The use of new oak for the élevage is carefully restrained; the norm being approximately 20 ­ 30% on the Villages wines and 50% for the Premier and Grands Crus Crus. . The wines of the village appellations usually spend between 18 months in barrel while the Premier and Grands Crus remain in cask for 20 ­ 24 months before being bottled, all without fining or filtration.