Winemaker Notes
Elegant and ripe. Violets and full, opulent raspberry notes. Finishes with quite a mouthful of weighty tannins.
Professional Ratings
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Jasper Morris
Fine pretty purple. A very stylish bouquet. 50-60% stems but they are entirely integrated. This is seamless and delightful lifted red fruit, floral touches, no simple fruit descriptors, adds flesh at the back and just a touch of stem pepper – the grapes were ideally ripe for those of us who like a lighter style of wine which is nonetheless very persistent. Very fine tannins. Sniffing at a fifth star!
Barrel Sample: 93-95 -
Vinous
The 2021 Morey-Saint-Denis Les Chaffots 1er Cru has an attractive floral bouquet that opens nicely in the glass with raspberry and wild strawberry fruit, dried roses and Japanese nori. It is actually quite Chambolle in style. The palate is medium-bodied with very pliant tannins and pure red fruit with orange zest and Morello cherries. This is open, a Morey with little intention for long-term ageing but is quite delicious in its flush of youth.
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.