2017 Maison Frederic Magnien Bourgogne Rouge

Red Burgundy of purity, grace, and power is generally unheard-of for under $30. But the 2017 Frédéric Magnien Bourgogne Rouge defies expectations, and is easily one of the most accomplished, haunting red Burgundies we’ve offered all year. It’s a bright, juicy wine with aromas of black cherries, raspberries, and earth, and a palate singing with raspberries, blueberry jam, and baking spices.

It’s crafted from Pinot Noir grown in Brochon, Fixin, and Corgoloin—three of only six villages that are permitted to produce wines under the Côte de Nuits Villages appellation—as well as Marsannay. The secret sauce, however, is a bit of declassified fruit from Chambolle-Musigny, which lends the wine its unforgettable sense of perfumed delicacy alongside a core of full-flavored power. Frédéric Magnien is one of the few producers with access to such rarified grapes.The relationships he and his family have built over the years means that they can craft their Bourgogne rouge from fruit that others would use for their flagship bottlings.

And with Pinot this incredible, he has been confident enough not to overwork it: His aging for the 2017 Bourgogne Rouge relies on older French oak barrels, which subtly soften the wine’s texture without imparting the more assertive baking spice notes that new wood tends to.

This is a wine that—though it’s produced in small quantities—leaves a big impression. It’s the sort of bottle that, if you don’t tell your guests what it is, they’ll assume costs a whole lot more than it actually does. That rarely happens with Pinot Noir, and almost never with red Burgundy.

• Fruit Intensity
• Oak Intensity
• Body
• Acidity
• Tannin

• ABV 13.00%
• 30 mins
• Drink Up
• % Pinot Noir
• Serving temperature – 55°
• Cork