Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
A vibrant and fresh wine, with bright red cherry fruit, a hint of rose petal and liquorice. The texture is silky yet dense, and the finish lingers impressively on the palate. This superb wine is a perfect response to those who disregard this grand cru. Dujac’s 1.47ha of Clos St-Denis is spread over several parcels and consistently produces one of the most emblematic grands crus of the domaine. In 2020, the Seysses family began picking on the 21st of August to retain freshness.
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Jasper Morris
A fine even ruby purple. The bouquet is beautiful, correctly ripe fruit with neither reduction nor too much oak to get in the way. Then a little oak starts to come up, along with a suggestion of stems. There is a fresher structure here, which is no bad thing. Slightly towards black fruit in profile, some white pepper, fair density and definite length. This grows and grows in the glass to become a wine of absolute beauty.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2020 Clos Saint-Denis Grand Cru is brilliant, unwinding to reveal beautifully pure aromas of cherries, red berries, rose petals, orange zest and vanilla pod. Full-bodied, layered and concentrated, with a deep core of vibrant fruit, lively acids and a youthfully tightly wound profile, it concludes with a long, perfumed finish.
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Vinous
The 2020 Clos Saint-Denis Grand Cru has a touch of reduction on the nose. Pretty brambly red fruit underneath, mulberry and cranberry, touches of rose petals and peony emerging and enhancing complexity with aeration. There is a slight animal scent that I appreciate. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red fruit, spicy and peppery. It tapers slightly towards the finish. Rating: 93+
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.