2021 Pommard En Brescul

Laurent Lignier, by common consensus, the most congenial and self-effacing winemaker in Morey-Saint-Denis, escorts me through his wide portfolio in his new tasting room/offices that lie under the giant cedar. Lignier gives me precious insight into another explanation of why the black frost of April inflicted more damage on the slopes than the plain…you can blame the ‘rolling stones’.

“For 15 days in March, we had high temperatures, sometimes 25° Celsius, and the sun warmed the etayag [large stones]. These warmed up very quickly and kept temperatures warmer during the night. The stones are bigger on the slope compared to the plain and differentiate the two. There were small green buds in the Premier Crus, whereas in the Village Crus, the buds were still closed. The green buds are sensitive at temperatures of -2° Celsius, whereas the enclosed buds can withstand down to -6° Celsius. We were affected by the frost in Clos de la Roche and Morey Les Chaffots, where I lost 50% and 70% respectively and mostly vines on the mid-slope that suffered the most damage. I started the harvest on 23 September in the Côte de Beaune and two days later in the Côte de Nuits. For the first time since 2006, everything is de-stemmed because the maturity was not quite there, the skins thinner than normal and the level of pH higher than expected. Acidity could potentially fall using whole clusters. I did more pigeage in 2021 [opposite to many other winemakers who told me that they practised less].”