Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru "Les Chaffots" AOC 2023 1500ml Magnum

A finely built Pinot Noir of cool clarity: well-delineated fruit, fine-grained tannin, lively acidity, a long and clear finish. Built for length and precision rather than fullness.

"Les Chaffots" is a Premier Cru in Morey-Saint-Denis, the Côte de Nuits village where the Lignier family has farmed Pinot Noir since the 1880s. Back then, Jacques Lignier bought plots that phylloxera had devalued; his son Jules patiently replanted them. The estate then passed through Henri to Hubert Lignier, who took over management in 1959 and began in 1973 to bottle his own wines himself rather than sell them in bulk. Today Laurent Lignier runs the domaine as the fifth generation.

Pure Pinot Noir, 13.0% vol. Long, cool maceration periods precede fermentation, and the proportion of whole clusters has grown over the years. Laurent Lignier has scaled back the new oak and spread it across four cooperages, so that no single barrel leaves its mark on the wine. The Morey cellar, acquired in 2008, works by gravity alone: from the must to the bottling, no pump is used.

Dry and taut. Upfront red cherry and raspberry, followed by dark berries, a floral note, a touch of undergrowth and spice. The tannin stays fine-grained, freshness carries the long finish.

With duck breast with cherries, coq au vin, roast pigeon or venison stew, as well as with a piece of Époisses.

Since 2007 the domaine has worked without synthetic treatments in the vineyard. The estate's plots trace back to twenty-seven rows of vines planted by Henri Lignier in 1955, from which he selected vine by vine in the 1960s. This Premier Cru is offered here in a 1500 ml Magnum.