2019 Clos de La Roche Grand Cru

Virgile Lignier escorted me through his 2018s from his barrel cellar located not far from Domaine Arlaud. “We started picking on 5 September with all the Premier and Grand Cru and finished in the generic around six days later," he told me. "It was important to harvest quickly. The vinification was normal. There were just two punch downs at the end, just pump overs during maceration during the two and a half week vinification. I just wanted to keep the freshness and avoid hard tannins. The alcohol levels 13.5% to 14.0%." This is a source of respectfully crafted Morey-Saint-Denis, especially from Aux Chezeaux and Chenevery. Lignier's Grand Crus are also extremely promising and may well end up being better value than those from higher profile domaines.

Virgile Lignier escorted me through his 2018s from his barrel cellar located not far from Domaine Arlaud. “We started picking on 5 September with all the Premier and Grand Cru and finished in the generic around six days later," he told me. "It was important to harvest quickly. The vinification was normal. There were just two punch downs at the end, just pump overs during maceration during the two and a half week vinification. I just wanted to keep the freshness and avoid hard tannins. The alcohol levels 13.5% to 14.0%." This is a source of respectfully crafted Morey-Saint-Denis, especially from Aux Chezeaux and Chenevery. Lignier's Grand Crus are also extremely promising and may well end up being better value than those from higher profile domaines.

After four weeks of intensive tasting, my last appointment was with Virgile Lignier and Domaine Lignier-Michelot. It almost didn’t transpire, since the entire village of Morey was uprooted to make way for a new water pipe that rendered their tasting room inaccessible. Therefore, I sped down to the winery not far from Domaine Arlaud where, after I rang the buzzer a few times in the pouring rain, the winemaker appeared. And I am glad he did, because this was the perfect way to end the “grand marathon.” Not unlike Domaine Hubert Lignier, the Lignier-Michelot range attains the heights that Morey-Saint-Denis can achieve courtesy of their Premier Crus and obligatory Clos Saint-Denis and Clos de la Roche cuvées. Virgile Lignier told me that he wanted to commence the harvest on September 9, except that rain meant he had to start the following. “That was the first time I ever began the picking on a Sunday,” he lamented. He matures all his crus in 30% new oak, so it is the terroir rather than the decision of the winemaker that distinguishes one from the other. This was a very competent set of 2017s from Lignier, where the Clos Saint-Denis steals the crown from his Clos de la Roche and where you would be hard-pressed to find a better Morey-Saint-Denis than his Les Faconnières.

Virgile Lignier harvested late in 2016, from September 26 through October 6, with potential alcohol levels ranging from 12.4% to 13.4% (for the Morey-Saint-Denis Les Chenevery). The vines that were affected by frost were lower in alcohol, Lignier told me, but overall he only lost 10% of his production. In fact, ’16 brought the biggest crop here since 1999.

Lignier has had thermo-regulated tanks since 2014, “so now the fermentations can start very slowly, and within the uncrushed grapes.” The pHs of the ‘16s are generally between 3.4 and 3.5, but with the Chenevery and Clos Saint-Denis more like 3.6. Although the ‘15s actually have slightly lower pHs, Lignier noted that “the balance of 2016 is cooler.” He went on: “The ‘16s will drink young owing to the quality of their tannins but should easily last for 10 or 15 years.” He described the '16s as crunchy, noting that he uses whole-cluster fermentation to gain freshness and complexity, not to change the structure of his wines. The ’16 malos only finished last September and the wines were racked into cuves in October, where they rested for three months before being bottled, with one exception, during the week before my mid-January visit. As in recent vintages, Lignier lightly filtered his ‘16s “for purity,” noting that previously his unfiltered wines “used to go up and down in bottle.”

Lignier considers his ‘16s to be “a mélange of 2002 and the structured side of 2005.” He clearly prefers his ‘16s to his ‘15s “for their Pinot elegance, freshness and subtlety.” He noted that 2015 featured the ripest stems of all (he was a late picker in '15), not to mention grape sugars between 12.8% and 13.8%, and Lignier did three or four pigeages per cuvée, or more than in 2016. Still, in January he felt that he may have extracted too much in 2015. He describes these wines as dominated by red fruits but a little heavy, while the ‘16s are blacker and fresher, which he described as a rare combination. Still, he added, the 2015s are more tannic and they may last longer.

Virgile Lignier harvested late in 2016, from September 26 through October 6, with potential alcohol levels ranging from 12.4% to 13.4% (for the Morey-Saint-Denis Les Chenevery). The vines that were affected by frost were lower in alcohol, Lignier told me, but overall he only lost 10% of his production. In fact, ’16 brought the biggest crop here since 1999.

Lignier has had thermo-regulated tanks since 2014, “so now the fermentations can start very slowly, and within the uncrushed grapes.” The pHs of the ‘16s are generally between 3.4 and 3.5, but with the Chenevery and Clos Saint-Denis more like 3.6. Although the ‘15s actually have slightly lower pHs, Lignier noted that “the balance of 2016 is cooler.” He went on: “The ‘16s will drink young owing to the quality of their tannins but should easily last for 10 or 15 years.” He described the '16s as crunchy, noting that he uses whole-cluster fermentation to gain freshness and complexity, not to change the structure of his wines. The ’16 malos only finished last September and the wines were racked into cuves in October, where they rested for three months before being bottled, with one exception, during the week before my mid-January visit. As in recent vintages, Lignier lightly filtered his ‘16s “for purity,” noting that previously his unfiltered wines “used to go up and down in bottle.”

Lignier considers his ‘16s to be “a mélange of 2002 and the structured side of 2005.” He clearly prefers his ‘16s to his ‘15s “for their Pinot elegance, freshness and subtlety.” He noted that 2015 featured the ripest stems of all (he was a late picker in '15), not to mention grape sugars between 12.8% and 13.8%, and Lignier did three or four pigeages per cuvée, or more than in 2016. Still, in January he felt that he may have extracted too much in 2015. He describes these wines as dominated by red fruits but a little heavy, while the ‘16s are blacker and fresher, which he described as a rare combination. Still, he added, the 2015s are more tannic and they may last longer.

Virgile Lignier was a relatively late harvester in 2015, starting on September 9 and bringing in a number of his wines after the rainy period that began on September 12. “We noticed a little dilution afterwards but gained precision,” he maintained. Grape sugars ranged from 12.3% to 13.6% and the crop level was down 15% from what Lignier described as the "normal" production of 2014. Lignier, who did very little pigeage in 2015 (none at all for some of his wines and just two or three for others), had racked his 2015s into cuves about two weeks before my November visit and planned to bottle them in February. He told me he was liking the wines more then than before the racking, when they contained more CO2. The ‘15s remind him of the 2005s in their quality of fruit. “But they’re more complete wines, better-balanced wines with riper tannins; they’ll show better early than the 2005s but should have very good aging potential."

Virgile Lignier started harvesting on September 17 with grape sugars between 12. 5% and 13%, chaptalizing barely 0. 3%. He told me he had already eliminated “a lot of rot and acid rot” with a large team between August 20 and September 5. “We had to be careful about the extraction of tannins in 2014,” he said. “Two thousand thirteen gave more phenolic maturity. The definition of Pinot was a bit less dense in 2014, so we could too easily have introduced a green element from the stems. And the seeds were also less ripe than in 2013. ” Still, Lignier vinified a majority of his ’14s with at least 50% whole clusters. He now punches down the cap a maximum of three or four times per cuvée and he did several days of post-fermentation maceration in 2014 but with the temperature naturally remaining at a moderate 30 or 31 degrees C.

The wines were racked into cuves in late October but had not yet been sulfured. Lignier now ages his wines in 30% new oak across the board.

“Two thousand thirteen is a classic year, very pinot,” said Virgile Lignier in December. “It would have been great with a better month of August. The vintage pleases me but it’s not my favorite; I’m more surprised by the high quality of the 2014s, even if the grapes’ seeds were riper in 2013.”

These may very well be the best wines I have ever tasted from Virgile Lignier. A number of Lignier's 2012s are super-impressive for their harmony and overall sense of balance. Yields were 32 hectoliters per hectare relative to the norm, which is around 42. Virgile Lignier added that malos were slow to finish. Lignier planned to bottle his Bourgogne in December 2013 and the rest of the wines the following January-March.

Virgile Lignier, who picked very late in 2012, beginning on September 27, described the vintage as "a great year to express what I want to express in my wines." He did a total of just three punchdowns per cuvee in 2012, compared to three per day as recently as 2005. Lignier now has total temperature control in his tanks, which he said gives much more precision to his vinifications. "I haven't completely changed my style but I've refined it as my tastes have evolved," he told me. Lignier's typical pHs have been in the relatively high 3.5 to 3.6 range "since I started picking late," and his levels of volatile activity are usually between 0.6 and 0.65. He harvested in 2012 with potential alcohol levels generally in the 12.5% to 12.8% range (but 13.5% for the Charmes-Chambertin) and chaptalized lightly. Some of the malos ended in March but a couple finished after the 2013 harvest; most of the wines were racked in mid-September. (A Becky Wasserman Selection; importers include Frederick Wildman & Sons, www.frederickwildman.com; Fine Vines, www.finevines.com; Vineyard Road, www.vineyardroad.net; Cordon Selections, www.cordonselections.com)

I tasted all of Virgile Lignier's 2011s from tank, just before their imminent bottling, which was scheduled to start in December 2012. The first fruit was brought in on September 7. Lignier reported healthy fruit and stems. Readers will note a healthy amount of whole clusters in these wines. Lignier opted for gentle extractions, with more pumpovers than punchdowns. New oak was in the 30-50% range for most of the wines.

Virgile Lignier told me he picked late in 2011, waiting until September 7 for greater phenolic maturity. In fact, he added, he's steadily moving in the direction of later harvesting."I picked the same days as Ponsot in 2012," he said.Potential alcohol levels in 2011 ranged from 11.9% to as high as 13.2% for his Charmes-Chambertin and no wine was chaptalized more than half a degree.Lignier made extensive use of whole-cluster vinification in 2011 and told me that he has been reducing his percentage of new oak. in recent years.He also relied more heavily on remontage than pigeage, deriving his extraction instead from a longer cuvaison.In fact, he told me he cut the number of punchdowns in half, doing just four or five in total for each cuvee.I found a few of these wines to be a bit chocolatey and saline, if not lacking in verve, perhaps due to the late harvest dates.The wines had been racked into cuves at the beginning of October. (A Becky Wasserman Selection; importers include Polaner Selections, www.polanerselections.com and Wines Unlimited, www.winesunlimited.com)

Virgile Lignier began his harvest on September 24. Potential alcohols came in between 11.8 and 14%. The wines under 12.5% were lightly chaptalized by about a half degree. I tasted all of the 2010s from tank, where they were resting in anticipation of bottling, which was scheduled to start this January. Virgile Lignier told me he was quite surprised by the quality of the 2010s, especially the ripeness of the tannins.

Virgile Lignier began harvesting on September 23, with grape sugars ranging from 12.2% to as high as 13.8% (in Charmes-Chambertin). He vinified all his 2010s with at least 20% whole clusters. As of the 2010 growing season, this domain is farmed entirely en bio, and Lignier is convinced that organic viticulture gives a purer expression of fruit. He's also doing a less manual extraction, relying more on arrosage (keeping the cap wet by sprinkling the must over it) than pigeage. The wines had been racked in late September and were assembled in tanks at the time of my tasting. Lignier was planning to bottle between December and February. (A Becky Wasserman Selection; importers include Polaner Selections, Mt. Kisco, NY and Wines Unlimited, New Orleans, LA)

Virgile Lignier's 2009s show notable intensity and ripeness, but also preserve quite a bit of freshness through the use of whole clusters, which reach as much as 100% in two wines. The Bourgogne and Chambolle were bottled in December 2010. I tasted all of the other wines from tank. Bottling was scheduled for the end of March 2011. Readers will find notes on a handful of 2008s on this site.

There were three keys to making excellent wine in 2009, said Virgile Lignier: control your yields, vinify with at least a portion of whole clusters, and taste constantly through the vinification so that you'll know when to stop extracting. "In sum, the biggest challenge in 2009 was to preserve freshness in the wines, to avoid having heavy wines." Lignier carried out two separate green harvests, the second one to eliminate the large bunches and large grapes, but still produced an average yield of 48 hectoliters per hectare, which he said was his biggest crop to date. He began harvesting on September 15 and brought in fruit with potential alcohol ranging from 12.5% to 15% (!). Two cuvees were racked in July after the malos, the rest just before the 2010 harvest. About 80% of the wines were in tank at the time of my November visit.

The new vintage brought "purity of fruit, more vivid wines than 2007," noted Virgile Lignier, who harvested most of his crop during the first half of October. He did a gentle extraction without much pigeage, to avoid getting hard tannins, and told me he likes to vinify with uncrushed small berries. He noted that he de-acidified a few of his '08s after the malos because he thought they had a bitterness that dried their finishes. I suspect he's far from the only grower I visited to have used this technique.

The new vintage brought "purity of fruit, more vivid wines than 2007," noted Virgile Lignier, who harvested most of his crop during the first half of October. He did a gentle extraction without much pigeage, to avoid getting hard tannins, and told me he likes to vinify with uncrushed small berries. He noted that he de-acidified a few of his '08s after the malos because he thought they had a bitterness that dried their finishes. I suspect he's far from the only grower I visited to have used this technique.

Virgile Lignier started harvesting on September 2 in 2007, but waited "a long time" to pick his Cheneverys. Potential alcohol levels were in the 12.3% to 13.2% range, with some wines lightly chaptalized. Lignier believes the 2007s have more depth than the 2006s, perhaps a result of the low crop level, and that their tannins are more thoroughly integrated. But he also told me he did a gentler extraction in 2007 because the tannins were less ripe than those of the previous year. Lignier feels that the fruit component is finer and more precise than in 2006, in part because he vinified a number of his cuvees with 30% to 35% whole clusters (the fruit in 2006 was entirely destemmed). The malos here finished as late as September, and all the 2007s were racked prior to the 2008 harvest.

Virgile Lignier started harvesting on September 2 in 2007, but waited "a long time" to pick his Cheneverys. Potential alcohol levels were in the 12.3% to 13.2% range, with some wines lightly chaptalized. Lignier believes the 2007s have more depth than the 2006s, perhaps a result of the low crop level, and that their tannins are more thoroughly integrated. But he also told me he did a gentler extraction in 2007 because the tannins were less ripe than those of the previous year. Lignier feels that the fruit component is finer and more precise than in 2006, in part because he vinified a number of his cuvees with 30% to 35% whole clusters (the fruit in 2006 was entirely destemmed). The malos here finished as late as September, and all the 2007s were racked prior to the 2008 harvest.

Virgile Lignier did a lot of crop thinning in 2006 and he believes this explains why he got so little rot. But he did eliminate some dried grapes, the aftereffects of hail. (Lignier, incidentally, purchased a second sorting table for the 2007 harvest.) I found the young 2006s very expressive in November. The crus had been racked just after the 2007 harvest and were assembled in barrel. Lignier told me that '06 is more tannic and less ripe than 2005, with 2007 in turn more tannic and less ripe than 2006. He considers the '05s not only sweeter than the '06s but also more accessible. When I told him that I preferred the oak element in his wines better during this visit than in past vintages, he noted that as of vintage 2005, he uses only Francois Freres barrels, having eliminated Berthomieu and Rousseau barriques.

Virgile Lignier told me that he did his normal extraction in 2005. The grapes came in with very good phenolic maturity, he explained, and the wines were easy to vinify. He chaptalized on the order of 0.3% just to prolong the fermentations. The wines had been racked in September, and the crus were put back in barrel for further aging. In recent years, Lignier has eliminated most of his Berthomieu barrels and now uses almost entirely Francois Freres; he normally employs about one-third new oak for the crus. Lignier told me that he actually had a bit less crop in 2004 than in 2005 after the severe selection. "The biggest difference between the two vintages was that the grapes in 2004 were less ripe and less dark in color," he said. "There were a lot of rose grapes." (A Becky Wasserman selection, importers include Polaner Selections, Mt. Kisco, NY) Also recommended: Chambolle-Musigny Vieilles Vignes (86+?).

Virgile Lignier told me that he did his normal extraction in 2005. The grapes came in with very good phenolic maturity, he explained, and the wines were easy to vinify. He chaptalized on the order of 0.3% just to prolong the fermentations. The wines had been racked in September, and the crus were put back in barrel for further aging. In recent years, Lignier has eliminated most of his Berthomieu barrels and now uses almost entirely Francois Freres; he normally employs about one-third new oak for the crus. Lignier told me that he actually had a bit less crop in 2004 than in 2005 after the severe selection. "The biggest difference between the two vintages was that the grapes in 2004 were less ripe and less dark in color," he said. "There were a lot of rose grapes." (A Becky Wasserman selection, importers include Polaner Selections, Mt. Kisco, NY) Also recommended: Chambolle-Musigny Vieilles Vignes (86+?).

Virgile Lignier described 2004 as a difficult year, due in large part to the attack of oidium. "We got reasonable sugars, but the phenolic maturity was not good," he told me. "The problem is that the wines often show a ripe middle palate but dry tannins. We were very careful about pigeage; during vinification we looked for sweet, soft tannins and we did everything we could to avoid vegetal tannins. "(A Becky Wasserman selection, importers include Polaner Selections, Mt. Kisco, NY and Veritas Imports, Beverly Hills, CA)

Virgile Lignier described 2004 as a difficult year, due in large part to the attack of oidium. "We got reasonable sugars, but the phenolic maturity was not good," he told me. "The problem is that the wines often show a ripe middle palate but dry tannins. We were very careful about pigeage; during vinification we looked for sweet, soft tannins and we did everything we could to avoid vegetal tannins. "(A Becky Wasserman selection, importers include Polaner Selections, Mt. Kisco, NY and Veritas Imports, Beverly Hills, CA)

Virgile Lignier bought a new vibrating triage table in time for the 2002 vintage, and he used it to eliminate the larger and less ripe grapes.He is now also able to move the fruit into cuve without pumping it.In 2002 he carried out a six-day cold maceration at 50oF, and did one punchdown and one pumpover per day during the fermentation.The material was riper in 2002 than in 2001, Lignier told me:the typical wine had potential alcohol of 12.5% and was chaptalized a half-degree.Lignier made 33 hectoliters per hectare in 2002, compared to 42 in 2001, but does not find a big difference in quality between the two vintages.The 2002s, he told me, should be medium-term agers.I liked the earlier vintage for its precision, but some tasters will prefer 2002 for its superripe, fleshier fruit.The 2001 crus were bottled on the late side, in May of 2003, the village wines three months earlier.At the time of my tasting, Lignier was leaning toward bottling all his 2002s in February.

Virgile Lignier bought a new vibrating triage table in time for the 2002 vintage, and he used it to eliminate the larger and less ripe grapes.He is now also able to move the fruit into cuve without pumping it.In 2002 he carried out a six-day cold maceration at 50oF, and did one punchdown and one pumpover per day during the fermentation.The material was riper in 2002 than in 2001, Lignier told me:the typical wine had potential alcohol of 12.5% and was chaptalized a half-degree.Lignier made 33 hectoliters per hectare in 2002, compared to 42 in 2001, but does not find a big difference in quality between the two vintages.The 2002s, he told me, should be medium-term agers.I liked the earlier vintage for its precision, but some tasters will prefer 2002 for its superripe, fleshier fruit.The 2001 crus were bottled on the late side, in May of 2003, the village wines three months earlier.At the time of my tasting, Lignier was leaning toward bottling all his 2002s in February.

Virgile Lignier, whose father previously sold his fruit to negociants began vinifying in 1996 and is bottling a higher percentage of the estate's fruit each year. The estate owns eight hectares of vines in Chambolle-Musigny, Morey-Saint-Denis and Gevrey-Chambertin, including pieces of three premier crus and a bit of Clos de la Roche. My visit here this year seemed well-timed, as 2001 looks to be the finest vintage to date for Lignier. I was more serious about everything in 2001, in the vines and in the vinification," Lignier told me. The tannins were ripe, though not as ripe as in 2002, and the wines show much purer fruit than my previous wines, partly because I used higher-quality barrels." (With the 2001 vintage, Lignier switched from almost all Rousseau barrels, which he feels lack finesse, to mostly Berthomieu and Francois.) Lignier describes his 2000s as best suited for drinking on the early side. I like my '99s okay, but the '98s were too hard." Lignier does a pre-fermentation cold soak lasting five or six days, but emphasized that he never goes for strong extraction, punching down the cap once a day and de-cuving quickly after the sugar fermentation is finished. The 2001s had been racked and assembled in cuve a month prior to my visit, and were slated for a January bottling (with fining but no filtration). This is yet another excellent source of Burgundy in Morey-Saint-Denis, a village that now has a very high percentage of estates worth pursuing.

Virgile Lignier, whose father previously sold his fruit to negociants began vinifying in 1996 and is bottling a higher percentage of the estate's fruit each year. The estate owns eight hectares of vines in Chambolle-Musigny, Morey-Saint-Denis and Gevrey-Chambertin, including pieces of three premier crus and a bit of Clos de la Roche. My visit here this year seemed well-timed, as 2001 looks to be the finest vintage to date for Lignier. I was more serious about everything in 2001, in the vines and in the vinification," Lignier told me. The tannins were ripe, though not as ripe as in 2002, and the wines show much purer fruit than my previous wines, partly because I used higher-quality barrels." (With the 2001 vintage, Lignier switched from almost all Rousseau barrels, which he feels lack finesse, to mostly Berthomieu and Francois.) Lignier describes his 2000s as best suited for drinking on the early side. I like my '99s okay, but the '98s were too hard." Lignier does a pre-fermentation cold soak lasting five or six days, but emphasized that he never goes for strong extraction, punching down the cap once a day and de-cuving quickly after the sugar fermentation is finished. The 2001s had been racked and assembled in cuve a month prior to my visit, and were slated for a January bottling (with fining but no filtration). This is yet another excellent source of Burgundy in Morey-Saint-Denis, a village that now has a very high percentage of estates worth pursuing.