The 2015 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru la Perrière comes from purchased grapes, although Laurent Lignier controls the vineyard that is in its first year of conversion to biodynamie. It has a perfumed and floral bouquet with red cherries, redcurrant and crushed strawberry. The palate is medium-bodied with succulent red berry fruit, tensile from the beginning with fine tannin and a pointed sorbet-fresh finish. This is very fine and may well eclipse the excellent 2014 la Perrière.

The 2014 Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru la Perrière, from purchased grapes, has an intense, granitic bouquet that is quite "serious" and austere, but you cannot deny the delineation here. The palate is marked by dark berry fruit, loganberry and bilberry, well judged acidity and a silky smooth finish that embraces the 25% new oak. This is a very seductive Gevrey.

The 2013 Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru la Perrière, a vineyard that Hubert and Laurent have treated organically for three years, has a quite an intense bouquet with small red cherries, cranberry and raspberry preserve. The palate is very well balanced with just the right amount of acidity to cut through the succulent red fruit, although the finish does not quite possess the delineation that I was expecting at the moment.

The 2012 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru la Perriere has a more exotic bouquet compared to other Premier Crus from Lignier with touches of fresh fig and marmalade infusing the vibrant red berry fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins and here the exoticism of the nose gives way to the mineralite of the terroir, so that the finish is strict and linear, as if to rectify the balance. This is a detailed and vivacious Gevrey-Chambertin to enjoy over the long-term.

The 2011 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru La Perriere comes from a 0.2-hectare plot of 35- and 60-year-old vines. Raised in 30% new oak, it has a perfumed, potent mineral-rich bouquet with wild strawberry, dark plum and a touch of Seville orange marmalade. The palate is medium-bodied with a beautiful supple opening, a fine sense of symmetry and focus, with great tension toward the saline finish. This is a superb Gevrey-Chambertin imbued with real class. Drink 2014-2025+ Domaine Hubert Lignier is another Morey-St-Denis estate that I have followed and visited for a number of years, a period that has been turbulent to say the least. I have always appreciated Hubert's classic style of wine and his tenets have been instilled in his son, Laurent. It was he who led me through the tasting of impressive 2011s at their cellar under a magnificent cedar overlooking the Route Nationale, though Hubert popped in to say, "Bonjour." Laurent explained that the vineyards are now in their third year of organic viticulture although he has no intention of seeking certification. This was a strong set of pure, sensual, quite intellectual wines that I feel deserve more recognition, exhibiting prudent use of oak, ample freshness and wonderful expression of their terroirs not dissimilar to Lalou Bize-Leroy. Quantities are often very small as they home in on individual lieux-dits, though prices remain reasonable. Importer: Rosenthal Wine Merchant, Pine Plains, NY; tel. (800) 910-1990