Winemaker Notes
More crimson and less purple-colored than the previous wines. Milk chocolate and malted milk flavors – a little bit overripe. Coffee/toffee, super sweet on the finish.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
This wine of impressive concentration is one to buy in the 2021 vintage. A superb density of red and black fruit explodes on the palate. The power is evident from the dark colour to the dense, tannic texture. Yields in 2021 were meager in this part of the vineyard (8 hl/ha), and Alexandre Abel completed the blend with a half-barrel of Clos de la Roche, with the balance of the grapes coming, as always, from the 1.29 hectares in the Clos de Monts Luisants above the portion that goes in the grand vin.
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Jasper Morris
4 barrels made. The richest purple colour to date, a late malolactic probably influencing this. Also, the slightly rougher texture, but that should equally be discounted. No questioning the intensity and the quality of the powerful dark fruit. Very well distributed across the palate, this is going to be a real success this year. Drink from 2027-2033.
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.