Sebastien Magnien

No relation to the Côte de Nuits Magniens, young Sébastien comes instead from Meloisey in the Hautes-Côtes de Beaune – a village whose wines were as well thought of as those of Volnay in the 14th century, and were served at the coronation of King Philip II Augustus in 1180. However, to be in the thick of things, Sébastien has transferred headquarters to revamped cellars in the middle of Meursault.

A product of 50-year-old vines grown on white soils suited to Chardonnay, this is an outstanding wine for the appellation. With a precise, clear-cut nose and a touch of apple, the wine is quite floral, very attractive, ripe and unusually concentrated for St Romain.
This promising domaine, recently established in Meursault, despite having its origins in the Hautes Côtes village of Meloisey, is now reaching a new level of maturity. This year they will bottle everything themselves for the first time and there are some new 1ers Crus to offer. There is not much quantity of any individual cuvée available and prices remain extremely reasonable, so I strongly suggest you to take a good look at Sébastien’s reds in particular.

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From vines planted in 1931, this wine has a lovely bright red-purple colour. The nose is brisk and almost elegant, with a terrific crunch of dark red fruit and a hint of chocolate. There’s great finesse though, and the fruit swarms all over the structure. Very lively and will repay keeping.

Sébastien professes himself to be very agreeably surprised by the 2014s. He notes good phenolic maturity so could extract the Pinot fruit well, and riper flavours than 2013. Sadly he had yet another vintage of low yields for his whites, especially in Meursault. The wines are concentrated but should be attractive very young.

This is on the higher part of Pommard at 300 metres, above Les Charmots, but south-facing. This is really quite mineral; there is black fruit and a hint of iron on the nose (a good thing). On the palate, it is complex, tight and deep. There is a really understated concentration here, and the finish is long and resolved.
Drink 2022-2028.
Adam Bruntlett, Burgundy Buyer

No relation to the many Magniens of the Côte de Nuits, young Sébastien comes instead from Meloisey in the Hautes Côtes de Beaune – a village whose wines were as well thought of as those of Volnay in the 14th century, and were served at the coronation of King Philip II Augustus in 1180. However, to be in the thick of things, Sébastien has transferred headquarters to revamped cellars in the middle of Meursault. He is equally adept at making red and white wines. Sitting (relatively) modestly on Sébastien’s shelf in his tasting area is a trophy: for the Jeunes Talents Côte de Beaune 2016. Sébastien’s star is certainly rising, and fully deserved. Everything here is precise and considered. His vineyards in Beaune, Puligny and St Romain were not frosted, but there are significant reductions elsewhere throughout his range. Much of Sébastien’s focus is in the vineyard, where he tries to capture the spirit of each of his wines. The difficulties of the spring aside, he is very happy with his results this year. He has also been paying particular attention to the toast levels of his barrels, with an even more discreet, integrated result.

A small cuvée from a vineyard adjacent to Auxey-Duresses, there are some light notes of barrel toast in the friendly bouquet, with generous fruit that avoids being too full of sunshine in this cooler location. This will be attractive early. Drink 2018-2022.
Jasper Morris MW, Wine Buyer

Sébastien began picking his whites on 31st August, then paused before attacking the reds. He made no change to his usual vinification practice of long maceration without forceful extraction, having de-stemmed the grapes. Sébastien comments positively on the well ripened tannins and notes that the wines have been tasting well throughout their time in barrel.

Located just above Premier Cru Les Charmots, les Petits Noizons is a superbly sited south-facing vineyard. Lovely deep purple, stylish dark red fruits with some black notes. Generous, clearly ripe, with more black fruit on the palate. Really lovely wine with Pommard weight but still with a sense of vivacity.
Jasper Morris, MW - Wine Buyer

Sébastien picked his white wines at the end of September then waited a week for the reds to finish ripening. In both cases the grapes remained in healthy condition. Clearly his 2013s are his best yet in white and very good indeed in red. Take this opportunity to discover a really promising young grower who is still ‘under the radar’.

Bright fresh yellow with a lovely fresh mirabelle zest to it, very good volume of fruit through the middle, a lovely thread of acidity, and then the fruit returns to sweep through the finish. A real bargain.
Jasper Morris, MW - Wine Buyer

Sébastien picked his white wines at the end of September then waited a week for the reds to finish ripening. In both cases the grapes remained in healthy condition. Clearly his 2013s are his best yet in white and very good indeed in red. Take this opportunity to discover a really promising young grower who is still ‘under the radar’.

Fresh, perfumed and displaying impressive finesse, this is a hillside version of Pommard which gives it a more lifted feel. It is very pretty for Pommard and very long indeed, with good acid and tannin balancing the fruit.
Jasper Morris MW, Berrys' Burgundy Director This promising domaine, recently established in Meursault, despite having its origins in the Hautes Côtes village of Meloisey, is now reaching a new level of maturity. This year they will bottle everything themselves for the first time and there are some new 1ers Crus to offer. There is not much quantity of any individual cuvée available and prices remain extremely reasonable, so I strongly suggest you to take a good look at Sébastien’s reds in particular.

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