Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
One of those wines that Burgundy lovers tip each other off about, this is a 0.68ha cuvée of four different premiers crus - Les Ruchots, Les Millandes, Clos Sorbé and Charrières - and is both classic Dujac and classic Morey-St-Denis. It's refined and chalky, with some forest floor and spicy whole-bunch aromas followed by sweet red berry fruit and filigree tannins.
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Jasper Morris
Fine depth of purple, ripe fruit with a whole bunch tingle, very elegant, significant charm. White pepper, violets, medium plus body and great length. Really rather lovely.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Aromas of plums, cherries, raw cocoa, espresso roast and grilled meats introduce the 2017 Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru, a medium-bodied wine with tangy acids and a succulent core of fruit that largely conceals its fine structuring tannins.
Barrel Sample: 90-92
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.