"Clos de la Roche" Grand Cru AOC 2022

A Grand Cru from Morey-Saint-Denis that combines density and depth with a suspended refinement. This young, it still appears very closed, yet finesse, balance and length are already discernible.

The Clos de la Roche has a brown, calcareous topsoil that in places is only 30 cm deep. Beneath it lie the large rock fragments, the "roches", that gave the vineyard its name; the Jurassic subsoil dates from the Bajocian era. The wine comes from two sections: Monts Luisants, 62 ares, planted between 1955 and 1965 on slopes with a 25% gradient, and Fremières, 28 ares, planted between 1953 and 1960.

Pure Pinot Noir. 2022 ripened early, with record heat throughout the year: a mild spring, a very sunny and dry summer, and heavy rain at the end of June, up to 150 mm within a few days, which helped the vines withstand water stress in July and August. Harvest began on 1 September. Fermentation used around 33% whole clusters, with maceration time shortened to 15–17 days instead of 20, very little punching down and gentle pressing: infusion rather than extraction. Three barrels resulted.

On the nose, fine, very restrained oak, subtle sweet cherry, floral elements, warm peat and undergrowth. On the palate, a silky acidity carries the red and dark fruit, behind it iron ore, again warm forest floor and the finest extract sweetness. Deep and dense, yet finely built and long.

In Morey-Saint-Denis, the Lignier family has farmed Pinot Noir since the 1880s; today Laurent Lignier runs it in the fifth generation. Since 2007 no synthetic products have been used in the vineyards; the cellar, acquired in 2008, works by gravity alone, without a pump from the must to bottling. New oak is deliberately kept low and spread across four cooperages so that no single barrel dominates the wine.