For more than a century, the Lignier family has been the towering dynasty of Morey St. Denis. But as so often happens, one generation made a mess of things.

Nearly 50 years ago, when he inherited four prized parcels in Clos de la Roche and the single largest share of Clos St. Denis, Georges Lignier must have seemed to the outside world a very lucky guy. But in fact, Georges was forced to be the owner of a major domaine by the early death of his father. And it was a role in which he never felt quite comfortable.

Georges made the best of it for a quarter century, occasionally making great wines when vintage conditions were perfect. (Parker once called his 1985 Clos St. Denis one of the three greatest Burgundies he’d ever drunk.) But, Georges struggled in difficult years.

Finally, in 2008, when his nephew and protegee, Benoit Stehly, was ready to take over, Georges handed him the keys (breathing a sigh of relief, no doubt).

It took Benoit a good seven years, until 2015, to completely restore the vineyards and to begin making wine consistently worthy of his holdings. But it’s taken even longer to restore the domaine’s reputation. Many Burgundy lovers remain unaware of the transformation. So, even though Benoit’s wines rival those of Hubert Lignier’s, they sell at a 50 to 70 percent discount.

Gradually, the market for Domaine Georges Lignier (especially the grand crus) is being restored, with the 2020s selling briskly. It will be a few years before a Domaine Georges Lignier Clos de la Roche can match Hubert’s $700 to $800 price. And it will be just as long before the domaine’s Clos St. Denis sells for $600—which is what Hubert’s would sell for if he had those prized vines. But the gap is narrowing yearly.