Winemaker Notes
The Cheseaux name come from the Latin "casale," land for building, a term used at the Gallic-Roman time. It stands generally for ruin witch the stones remain. The origin is the same for Echezeaux et Grand Echezeaux. The bedrock disaggregation created a marne lime-clay amalgam of white rocks.
Located in the northern limit of the village abutting the Gevrey-Chambertin bordure. Aux Cheseaux make delicate fruity, long and elegant wines.
Professional Ratings
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Jasper Morris
Mid crimson purple. Perhaps a slight reduction but the fruit really wants to express itself here. Expressive yet with refinement. Richer raspberry fruit here, fills the mouth impressively, though never over opulent, a little pepper and spice at the back, long and satisfying. Barrel Sample: (93-95)
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Decanter
The initial impression of the Aux Cheseaux is a bit more reserved than the Millandes. However, with time on the palate, lovely ripe plum and blackberry aromas open up, adorned by hints of smoke and a firm, salty mineral underpinning. The texture is denser, fresher, and more tannic than the latter wine. Like Millandes, it is just below the band of grand crus, but it is a very different terroir on poor Prémeaux limestone soils — a fascinating contrast. The wine is less approachable now, but it will undoubtedly be longer-lived.
Barrel Sample: 94 -
Vinous
The 2022 Morey-Saint-Denis Aux Chesaux 1er Cru is very delineated and harmonious on the nose, with blackberry and wild strawberry fruit, crushed rock and light dried rose petal scents from the whole bunches. The medium-bodied palate has a fresh, saline entry, beautifully structured with gentle grip. Darker fruit surfaces toward the finish with hints of candied orange peel and blood orange. Excellent. - Neal Martin
Barrel Sample: 92-94
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
While Morey-St-Denis of Burgundy might not get the same attention as its neighbors, Gevrey-Chambertin to the north and Chambolle-Musigny to the south, there is no reason why it shouldn’t. The same line of limestone runs from the Combe de Lavaux in Gevrey—all the way through Morey—ending in Chambolle.
There are four grand cru vineyards, moving southwards from the border with Gevrey-Chambertin: Clos de la Roche, Clos St-Denis, Clos des Lambrays, Clos de Tart and a small segment of Bonnes-Mares overlapping from Chambolle. Clos de la Roche is probably the finest vineyard, giving wines of true depth, body, and sturdiness for the long haul than most other vineyards.
Pinot Noir from Morey-St-Denis is known for its deep red cherry, blackcurrant and blueberry fruit. Aromas of spice, licorice and purple flowers are present in the wines’ youth, evolving to forest and game as the wine ages.