2018 Clos de la Roche, Grand Cru, Lignier-Michelot, Burgundy
Critics reviews
A deeper, darker colour. The first bouquet is on the sombre side. Just a little touch of Elastoplast, but here it has not damaged the vast wealth of fruit, though it may have added a lightly drying touch to the finish. Otherwise, though, this is a wine of dark fruit but considerable promise thanks to the persistent finish.
Drink from 2030
Jasper Morris MW, InsideBurgundy.com (September 2022)
An exceptionally ripe nose flashes poached plum nuances on the mix of red and dark berry fruit aromas where additional breadth is present in the form of menthol, violet and soft spice wisps.
There is equally good freshness on the palate of the well-detailed and minerally big-bodied flavours that exhibit outstanding power on the robust, muscular and lingering finish.
This firmly structured effort is impressive and much more vibrant than it was from cask last year.
Drink from 2035 onward
Allen Meadows, Burghound.com (January 2021)
The 2018 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru is a little confit and jammy on the nose, though the fruit is attractive, wild strawberry and raspberry, touches of orange pith. It coheres impressively in the glass despite a touch of reduction. The palate is medium-bodied with chiselled tannins. Plenty of freshness here, saline, vibrant and bright, this fans out gloriously towards the finish with a persistent, spicy, slightly exotic finish that does not detract from typicité. Big things ahead.
Drink 2027 - 2055
Neal Martin, Vinous.com (November 2022)
About this WINE
Domaine Lignier-Michelot
Virgile Lignier has worked alongside his father since 1988, really taking charge from 2000 by which time all the wines were being bottled at the domaine. Significant advances were made in the vineyards, reducing yields and ploughing the soil, along with the introduction of a sorting table and a higher percentage of new wood in the cellar.
Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Wine Director and author of the award-winning Inside Burgundy comprehensive handbook.
Morey-Saint-Denis
Morey is sometimes ignored between its two famous neighbours, Chambolle-Musigny and Gevrey-Chambertin, but its wines are of equal class, combining elegance and structure. Morey-St Denis, being that little bit less famous, can often provide excellent value.
The four main Grand Cru vineyards continue in a line from those of Gevrey-Chambertin, with Clos St Denis and Clos de la Roche the most widely available. Clos des Lambrays (almost) and Clos de Tart (entirely) are monopolies of the domains which bear the same names.
Domaine Dujac and Domaine Ponsot also make rare white wines in Morey-St Denis.
- 64 hectares of village Morey-St Denis
- 33 hectares of Premier Cru vineyards (20 in all). Best vineyards include Les Charmes, Les Millandes, Clos de la Bussière, Les Monts Luisants
- 40 hectares of Grand Cru vineyard. Clos de Tart, Clos des Lambrays, Clos de la Roche, Clos St Denis and a tiny part of Bonnes Mares
- Recommended Producers: Dujac, Ponsot, Clos de Tart, Domaine des Lambrays
Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir is probably the most frustrating, and at times infuriating, wine grape in the world. However when it is successful, it can produce some of the most sublime wines known to man. This thin-skinned grape which grows in small, tight bunches performs well on well-drained, deepish limestone based subsoils as are found on Burgundy's Côte d'Or.
Pinot Noir is more susceptible than other varieties to over cropping - concentration and varietal character disappear rapidly if yields are excessive and yields as little as 25hl/ha are the norm for some climats of the Côte d`Or.
Because of the thinness of the skins, Pinot Noir wines are lighter in colour, body and tannins. However the best wines have grip, complexity and an intensity of fruit seldom found in wine from other grapes. Young Pinot Noir can smell almost sweet, redolent with freshly crushed raspberries, cherries and redcurrants. When mature, the best wines develop a sensuous, silky mouth feel with the fruit flavours deepening and gamey "sous-bois" nuances emerging.
The best examples are still found in Burgundy, although Pinot Noir`s key role in Champagne should not be forgotten. It is grown throughout the world with notable success in the Carneros and Russian River Valley districts of California, and the Martinborough and Central Otago regions of New Zealand.
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Description
A deeper, darker colour. The first bouquet is on the sombre side. Just a little touch of Elastoplast, but here it has not damaged the vast wealth of fruit, though it may have added a lightly drying touch to the finish. Otherwise, though, this is a wine of dark fruit but considerable promise thanks to the persistent finish.
Drink from 2030
Jasper Morris MW, InsideBurgundy.com (September 2022)
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