Winemaker Notes
The Clos Saint-Denis Grand Cru lies between the village of Morey-Saint-Denis to the south and Gevrey-Chambertin to the north, where the slope is very steep (13%). The plot varies in altitude from 284 to 309 meters. The lieu-dit faces east-southeast. The vines have been organically farmed since 2001.
Upon opening, this wine is characterized by lavish fruit but has the capability of aging quite well.
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2022 Clos Saint-Denis Grand Cru is beautiful, wafting from the glass with aromas of sweet red berries, cherries, blood orange, rose petals and spices. Full-bodied, supple and suave, with a multidimensional core of cool, pure fruit, it's seamless and velvety, with lively acids and a long, saline finish.
Barrel Sample: 95-97 -
Decanter
This delicious Clos Saint-Denis starts with a well-developed blackberry and pomegranate fruit aroma touched with star anise and pepper and a salty mineral tang to give it an impressive depth of flavour. The wine has much more density and substance than last year, with firm tannins and a beautifully lingering finish of haunting complexity. This wine should start to open within five to seven years and should drink well for decades afterwards. The grapes are from several parcels that total 1.47 hectares spread throughout the various lieux-dits of this emblematic climat.
Barrel Sample: 96 -
Jasper Morris
Bright purple, with a wealth of sensual fruit, leaps out of the glass to seduce at once. The sweeter side of raspberry. Immediately stunning as is its wont. Fills the mouth, now more strawberry with some vanilla cream from the oak. Perhaps no more than medium bodied, but with energy. Seductive but simpler. Barrel Sample: (94-96)
-
Vinous
The 2022 Clos Saint-Denis Grand Cru has a beautifully defined bouquet with impressive purity, a light marine influence infusing the red fruit mixed with blueberry, becoming ever more floral with time in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannins, white pepper and allspice. There is a palpable sense of energy here, with gentle grip and a dash of white pepper on the finish. It closes up a bit in the glass, but I think it's a long term proposition.
Barrel Sample: 94-96
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.