Clos Saint-Denis Grand Cru

Since 1927 the Clos Saint-Denis has given its name to the village of Morey, which became Morey-Saint-Denis. It lies in the lower half of the slope, with the Clos de la Roche to the north and the Clos des Lambrays to the south. The appellation, recognized by the decree of December 8, 1936, covers about 6.5 hectares of Pinot Noir: the historic clos, just over 2 hectares that, despite the name, were perhaps never walled, and parcels of the neighboring Calouère, Les Chaffots, and Maison Brûlée, long recognized as of equivalent quality.

Its origins go back to the eleventh century, when the vineyard belonged to the collegiate church of Saint-Denis de Vergy, the chapel of the castle of Vergy in the Hautes Côtes; the first written mention dates from 1367. The canons held it until the Revolution; once their property was dispersed, by the early nineteenth century the name already denoted the wines of a district larger than the clos. Today it is divided among some fifteen producers.

The soils are brown and calcareous, over Bajocian limestones covered by a few dozen centimeters of clayey colluvium. The appellation rules describe a fleshy, elegant ruby wine, with aromas of red fruits, dog rose, spices, and toasted almonds, soft, velvety, and remarkably persistent; the BIVB calls it the Mozart of the Côte de Nuits: it impresses more by its nuances than by its breadth. When available, the bottles appear further down.