Winemaker Notes
Grapes for this wine were chosen based on specific characteristics: old vines with limited yields due to severe disbudding, green harvest if needed, working of the soil, limited use or absence of fertilizers, environmentally friendly pest management, respecting beneficial wildlife.
The 2015 vintage displays a nice dark color with ruby red tints. It unfolds intense aromas of black fruits on the nose, with floral and jammy notes. On the palate, the wine shows solid tannins enhanced by a beautiful acid frame.
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
Grégory Patriat makes the wines at this negociant firm, and a number of his 2015s are remarkable, including this selection from a grand cru on the Gevrey side of Morey-St-Denis. Treated to 100 percent new oak, this vintage took it in and returned a wine with floral refinement, the oak turning its power toward elegance. The fruit reaches a near-tropical ripeness, edged in herbal notes, somehow feeling zesty and cool. The contrast is fascinating, sustained over the course of several days, predicting a complex evolution ahead.
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.