Morey-Saint-Denis is found between Chambolle-Musigny to the south and Gevrey-Chambertin to the north. It was given it’s own A.O.C. status in 1936 which was an important step for the consumer because it does have it’s own general characteristics separate from Chambolle and Gevrey and the status has of course allowed the village of Morey-Saint-Denis to become more prosperous, facilitating the ability to create great wines here.
Grand Crus of Morey-Saint-Denis
There are 5 Grands Crus in Morey-Saint-Denis: Bonnes Mares (which straddles Morey-Saint-Denis and Chambolle-Musigny), Clos de la Roche, Clos de Tart, Clos Saint-Denis and Clos des Lambrays, which was raised from premier cru to grand cru status in 1981.
Clos de la Roche and it’s terroir
Clos de la Roche is an east-facing vineyard at the northern end of Morey-Saint-Denis, just south of the Grand Crus of Gevery-Chambertin. Directly north of Clos de la Roche is the Les Combettes vineyard in Gevrey-Chambertin. To the south is Clos Saint-Denis. It is known and possibly named for the big limestone boulders in the vineyard. The marlstone reddish silty clay soil is rich with calcium carbonate and lime and is very thin. The roots grow through only a couple of feet of this rugged top soil and then struggle through many feet of limestone to reach moisture. These struggles lead to a wine with tremendous aging potential. There’s also a big flat rock above the vineyard, that some say was used for sacrifices in Celtic times. Perhaps this really is the source of the name, since it’s singular, rather than a plural that would be used for the many boulders seen there. Similar to other Morey vineyards, there is no evidence that it was a true Clos, but perhaps it was walled in some way in the times of the Romans or the Cistercians who developed these vineyards.
Morey-Saint-Denis wines
Try a full range of Moreys from Village to Grand Cru with the following wines available from Domaine Pierre Amiot et Fils and Mark Haisma.
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