2017 Morey-Saint-Denis Vieilles Vignes 1er Cru

Hubert and Laurent Lignier make a fantastic father-and-son team. Hubert Lignier, now in his 80s, seems to be working just as hard as ever, the male equivalent of Lalou Bize-Leroy, but without the weekend mountain climbing and yapping dogs. They are both indefatigable winemakers. Laurent Lignier guided the ship through choppy waters a decade ago following the untimely passing of Hubert’s son Romain, and with an expanded portfolio that includes various fermages and métayages, this has become one of my lengthiest tastings. Thank goodness they also enlarged their winery and barrel facilities three or four years ago.

“There was no disease pressure throughout the season,” Laurent Lignier told me in their gîtes, shaded by an enormous cedar. “We found that the berries were not large in size, certainly less dense than in 2016. We started the harvest on September 7 in Pommard [compared to September 28 in 2016] and finished on September 14. The yields are slightly less than last year, around 10% down. We matured the Village Crus in around 20% new oak, 25% to 30% for the Premier Crus and 30% for the Grand Crus. Most of the cuvées come in at 12.5° to 13.5° potential alcohol.”

Hubert Lignier has rapidly become one of the most dependable producers in Morey-Saint-Denis. I sometimes feared that such expansion across so many different vineyards and appellations might stretch Laurent and Hubert too much, and yet year after year they maintain quality control. There are several wines to mention. At the heart of their range is their Morey-Saint-Denis Premier Crus, and although the single-vineyards are tempting, I consistently find their Morey-Saint-Denis Vieilles Vignes 1er Cru on the money, thanks to old vines that suffer millerandage and concentrate the berries. If you do insist on your Morey-Saint-Denis affixed to a specific vineyard, then look no further than their excellent Les Chaffots, courtesy of vines up to 90 years old. Throughout their range, one can see assiduous use of whole bunch addition: adding judiciously where necessary, de-stemming in total if that is what they feel is best. Nothing here is done by rote.

The jewel in the crown is their single hectare of 50- to 60-year-old vines in Clos de la Roche, split between 0.62 hectares in Monts Luisants and 0.28 hectares in Les Fremieres. Occasionally it can be a contender for the best wine in the Côte de Nuits, and though the 2017 growing season probably means that it does not rank alongside the 2015 or 2016, it is still a very impressive wine, amongst the finest from this Grand Cru.