The Wines of Frederic Magnien
Frederic Magnien always felt destined to follow in his father’s footsteps - indeed, he is the 5th generation in his family to farm vineyards or make wine in Burgundy’s Morey-St-Denis. As winemaker for both his father’s label (Domaine Michel Magnien) as well as his own négoce wines (Maison Frederic Magnien), Frederic approaches both vineyard management and winemaking with an obvious zeal.
Join us as we talk with this introspective yet confident Burgundian winemaker about terroir, balance, and the intricacies of Burgundy.
For More Information on the Wines of Frederic Magnien:www.frederic-magnien.com
Sponsor: North Berkeley Imports: www.northberkeleyimports.com
Click Below to Play the Show:
(59:17 min 49 MB)
Some of the wines made by Frederic Magnien include:
Cotes de Nuits Villages “Croix Violette”
Gevrey Chambertin “Jeunes Rois”
Morey St Denis 1er Cru “Les Ruchots”
Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru “Borniques”
Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru “Charmes Vieilles Vignes”
Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru “Les Cazetiers”
Vosne Romanee 1er Cru “Les Suchots”
Echezeaux Grand Cru
Chambertin Clos de Beze Grand Cru
Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
Hi guys,
I have enjoyed the last couple of shows. I would like to hear more informal, in-studio food/cheese and wine pairing shows [in some ways like what I recall you doing on O'Shea, but with an 'expert' with you]. Going back a couple of weeks, though, what happened to the drawing for the several prizes for people who responded to the New Year’s Resolution episode?
Hi,
What was the name of the 2002 Cotes de Nuit Fredric said he liked to drink in the kitchen?
I would have loved to see Frederic’s reaction when Eric asked him if he used “carbonic maceration”. You might as well have insulted his mother!
That’s how they vinify in BEAUJOLAIS.
Mark
His reaction…he looked ticked. That’s what happens when you try to say “cold” maceration but your mouth says “carbonic” maceration.
Eric
Great show; though Pinot yet again !
Interesting conversation about terroir and winemakers. I think all winemakers obliterate the terroir no matter what they do e.g. even the simplest things such as choosing to cool the must down (and to what temperature) affects the expression of terroir. Don’t forget the role of viticulture in obliterating terroir. How many vineyards have you seen where the grapes grow wild ? All things such as fertilisers, trellising, canopy management, disease management, when to pick, etc, all effect (obliterate ??) the expression of terroir. Let’s face it, if there is a bad year where there is an large outbreak of at least one form of “bad” rot then surely the best expression of the terroir would be to include all those rotten grapes (and bottle it in a magnum for Jay
I am not sure that I agree with the comment that the winemaker has a duty to let the wine reflect the vintage though. Let’s say in 2004, a winemaker produces a stunning wine that I really like. If in 2005, he decides to do his best to let the finished wine reflect the vintage then he/she may produce a wine that i don’t like as much as the 2004. In this case, I would have preferred the winemaker to work some magic and produce another 2004 again.
I do not agree with Eric on his reaction, but the look on Rusty was priceless. It was almost like he was thinking “holy $hit, is Eric trying to get us killed?”
Jay
Andrew,
Vintage variations are what make wine exciting. It’s the reason why you’ll rarely come across a multivintage blend outside of Champagne.
Mark
Andrew, perhaps Frederick will respond, but here is my take. I think that a winemaker needs to respect the vintage. By that I mean the winemaker must adapt their approach each year so the wine can reflect the most positive aspects ( and minimize the most negative ) of the vintage.
If the winemaker attempts to make 2005 like the 2004 he may be able to acomplish that feat. But its artificial/manipulated and even more important will lose terroir. IMHO, a winemaker should use a delicate hand. Do only what has to be done and not an inch more.
Jay
hi guys,
i admit, i am behind in my graperadio.com listening. i apologize for that!
i rather enjoyed listening to this interview. its always great to have burgundy producers. and frederic did not disappoint!
i have become a big fan of rusty. i remember thinking that he was just a shill for pushing pinots, and then i read a review of something that he did not like, which i had recently tasted, and thought that his comments were spot on!
i even took to his affected pronunciation of pinot noir. i thought that perhaps he knew something more about its pronunciation. and then i heard him say “vos-nee” from the commune of vosne romanee.
…needless to say, i’m now back to my gutteral expression of “pinot noir.” (eric, help rusty out. i know you have that book on french pronunciations!)
paul.
excuse me i want to know how i can make the wine