“Frédéric Magnien is widely regarded as one of the shrewdest and sharpest young winemakers working in the Côte d’Or today.” – Inside Burgundy

The wines we have today from Magnien are prime examples of what Agent Noir calls “Bargaindies”.

But they are getting rarer and rarer. With tariffs looming, the prospect of getting more seems bleak in the near term. So, ears perk up when a Côte de Nuits red this good can still be had for way under $50.

Die hard “burghounds” know is a place where terroir matters most. This is why Fixin is where it’s at these days. This small enclave just north of Gevrey-Chambertin offers unreal values.

Speaking of Gevrey, there was some room in the truck, so we squeezed in a few cases of a fairy-tale Grand Cru by the same grower and vintage. It’s the kind of stuff dreams are made of, and you can find it here in the Store for the day, while it lasts. It’s the ultimate yardstick to measure how great a deal this Fixin is and also get an impression of what the upper echelon of the most heralded wine region is all about, at a “relative” bargain, too.

Clos Marion is a tiny walled vineyard delineated in medieval times, in the heart of the bucolic village of Fixin. If you hopped in a car to drive to the Grand Crus of Gevrey-Chambertin, just like our superstar one in the Store today, you could get there in 5 minutes or less. That’s how close the “terroir” is. And yet without the official Cru classification, this single vineyard under the shadow of much more famous ones within a stone’s throw, is yours for a song.

And who doesn’t love great pedigree for less? While Domaines with cult followings like Méo-Camuzet, Mongeard-Mugneret or Denis Mortet continue to wake collectors up with unreal values from Fixin, it somehow manages to remain under the radar and insiders scoop these cherries up right around $100 a bottle.

Good luck finding one at $44 again though, and so we wish ourselves, when this sells out.

When Vinous remarked a decade ago that “Fréd Magnien, who seems to have been making wine forever but is still only 38 years old, continues to take his wines to ever-higher levels” they did not see wines THIS GOOD coming.

Per Burgundy specialist Master of Wine Jasper Morris of Inside Burgundy, “Frédéric Magnien is widely regarded as one of the shrewdest and sharpest young winemakers working in the Côte d’Or today. His father Michel Magnien is a well-respected vigneron who produces wine in his own right, as well as being responsible for the vineyard management of Maison Louis Latour. Frédéric Magnien is the fifth generation of his family in Morey-St-Denis. Having worked with his father after wine school and then traveled to work with Pinot producers in California and Australia, Frédéric rejoined his father in 1993 and two years later created his own négociant label, which has proved one of the recent success stories in Burgundy.”

Finally, we get to what awaits in the bottle, from a classic vintage already reputed for the purity and clarity of its wines all over Burgundy, whites, and reds. The translucent alluring ruby is followed by an intriguing bouquet that includes tart red and black fruits, sappy flowers, toasted spice, wood smoke, and scorched earth. Silky, medium-bodied, and impeccably balanced on the palate, with nicely tucked acidity behind ample sweet fruit, it has lithe yet firm tannins and an intense yet elegant finish. It’s a haunting red that’s terrific today, yet we suspect it will continue to improve over the next decade.

Like all things fine, and finite in life, this will soon be a distant memory, make sure you snag some!