Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
The wine is gorgeous and spot-on typical Morey-St-Denis, with a bright plummy fruit showing an earthy undertone and a suggestion of minerality. The texture is rich and dense without heaviness. A solid value wine each and every year. Domaine Dujac is among the most accomplished winemakers in the village, and its village-level bottling is always a reference for me. Produced from nearly 3ha of vines scattered throughout the village, the mostly whole-cluster fruit is fermented with a very gentle extraction before ageing 16 months in cask (25% new).
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James Suckling
Pretty nose of dried flowers, wild mushrooms, raspberries and blood oranges. It’s open and fruit-driven, with medium-firm, lightly chalky tannins framing the juicy fruit.
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Jasper Morris
Half was picked on 19th August, half 10 days later, according to the location and ripeness of particular plots. The 2020 Morey St-Denis in bottle has a dense, even deep red purple, a large block of fruit on the nose, and no obvious sign of stems despite 72% whole bunch vinification. Quite big tannins but not dry.
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.