The town of Morey-St-Denis exemplifies the small scale of Burgundian winemaking. Wedged between two more famous neighbors, this village of 680 people has a vineyard surface of under 4 tenths of a square mile. It’s delicate, delicious, classic red Burgundy — there just isn’t much of it to go around.
Michel Gros has a tiny parcel in Morey-St-Denis, from which he makes fewer than 1000 bottles annually. The vines are perched on the hill above the town, and the vineyard directly borders three Grand Crus: Clos de Tart, Clos des Lambrays, and Bonnes-Mares.
Most years Gros’s Morey-St-Denis typifies the village, but in the scorching hot 2018 vintage, the wine carries extra weight and packs a bit more punch. It’s bolder, but no less impressive.
Clive Coates MW describes the wines of Morey as a cross between the silkiness of Chambolle-Musigny and the sturdiness of Gevrey-Chambertin. This year Gros’s Morey-St-Denis shines as a beautiful combination of both qualities. Its location 10 feet from Clos des Lambrays helps explain its unusual depth, and
We found beautiful, dark blackberry fruit in this wine, with cool, ripe tannins. Morey-St-Denis’s signature mineral core is evident and delightful, overlaid with inky dark ripe fruit. Neal Martin of Vinous calls it “fragrant, well-defined,” and “fine;” Burghound cites “ample minerality” with “Racy, fresh and refined middle-weight flavors.”
In some years this cuvée is a study in understatement and refinement; in 2018 it’s better described as simply “tasty.”
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Gros Morey-St-Denis 2018
bottle price: $72