AOC/AOP Regulations
Département
- Côte d’Or
Communes of Production
- Morey-Saint-Denis
Styles and Encépagement
- Blanc: Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc
- Aligoté is authorized for planting in the Monts Luisants climat
- Rouge: Pinot Noir, plus a max. 15% mixed plantings of Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, and Chardonnay
- Blanc/Rouge „Premier Cru“
Minimum Potential Alcohol
- Blanc: 11%
- Rouge: 10.5%
- Blanc „Premier Cru“: 11.5%
- Rouge „Premier Cru“: 11%
Minimum Must Weights
- Blanc: 178 g/l (170 g/l prior to 2011)
- Rouge: 180 g/l (171 g/l prior to 2011)
- Blanc „Premier Cru“: 187 g/l (178 g/l prior to 2011)
- Rouge „Premier Cru“: 189 g/l (180 g/l prior to 2011)
Maximum Residual Sugar
- Blanc: 3 g/l
- Rouge:2 g/l
Élevage
- Wines may not be released until June 30 of the year following the harvest
Minimum Planting Density
- 9,000 vines per hectare
Maximum Yield (Rendement de Base)
- Blanc: 57 hl/ha (45 hl/ha prior to 2011)
- Rouge: 50 hl/ha (40 hl/ha prior to 2011)
- Blanc „Premier Cru“: 55 hl/ha (45 hl/ha prior to 2011)
- Rouge „Premier Cru“: 48 hl/ha (40 hl/ha prior to 2011)
AOC Established
- 1936 (last updated 2011)
Links
Grand Cru Vineyards of Morey-Saint-Denis (5)
| Vineyard | Size* | Major Producers | Notes |
| Bonnes Mares | 15.06 ha (1.5 ha lie within Morey-St-Denis) | de Vogüé, Georges Roumier, Louis Jadot, Robert Groffier, de la Vougeraie | Bonnes Mares extends into Chambolle-Musigny. |
| Origin of Name: Several hypotheses exist. The bonnes mères („good mothers“) may be a reference to Cistercian nuns, although one story suggests the name’s origins lie in a sculpture of three goddesses of fertility, unearthed here. Finally, the verb marer means „to cultivate,“ and the literal translation of „Bonnes Mares“ may instead be „good harvest.“ | |||
| Clos de La Roche | 16.9 ha | Ponsot, Dujac, Armand Rousseau, Hubert Lignier, Lignier-Michelot | The original Clos de la Roche vineyard was only about 4 ha in size (Ponsot owns 75% of this parcel), but its boundaries were expanded from 1936 through 1971, incorporating the neighboring lieux-dits of Les Mochamps, Les Fremières, Les Chabiots, Les Froichots, and portions of the Premier Cru sites Les Genavrières, Les Chaffots and Monts-Luisants. |
| Origin of Name: „Roche“ translates to „rock.“ | |||
| Clos de Tart | 7.53 ha | François Pinault, monopole | Clos de Tart was the only vineyard in Morey decreed as tête de cuvée by Dr. Jules Lavalle in his 1855 classification. It is one of the only Grands Crus in the Côte de Nuits with vines running north-south rather than east-west. |
| Origin of Name: The Cistercian Abbaye of Tart-le-Haut was the original owner of this vineyard, and it is documented as early as 1141, as the Clos de la Forge. | |||
| Clos des Lambrays | 8.84 ha | Domaine des Lambrays | While Domaine des Lambrays owns 99% of the vineyard, it is not technically a monopole. Sectors within the vineyard include Les Larrets (the core), Meix Reutier (the southeastern corner), and Les Bouchots (the northern sector). |
| Origin of Name: The vineyard was originally established in 1365, as „Cloux des Lambrey.“ „Lambrey“ was a family name. | |||
| Clos Saint-Denis | 6.62 ha | Dujac, Bertagna, Ponsot, Drouhin | Once barely more than 2 ha, Clos Saint-Denis grew to its current size in 1936, when the neighboring lieux-dits of Maison Brulée, Calouère, and a portion of the Premier Cru Les Chaffots. |
| Origin of Name: The vineyard originally belonged to the church of Saint-Denis de Vergy, founded in 1203. | |||
| *Coates, Clive. The Wines of Burgundy. Rev. ed. Berkeley: The University of California Press, 2008. | |||
Premier Cru Vineyards of Morey-Saint-Denis (20)
| Vineyard | Size** | Major Producers | Notes |
| Aux Charmes | 1.17 ha | Lignier-Michelot | |
| Origin of Name: „Charmes“ is derived from the Latin calmis, or „pasture land.“ The vineyard lay fallow (en friche) for a period prior to being replanted. | |||
| Aux Cheseaux | 1.49 ha | Arlaud | |
| Origin of Name: „Cheseaux“ (like chez) is an Old French word for „houses“. This was the site of a Gallo-Roman settlement. | |||
| Clos Baulet | 0.87 ha | Frédéric Magnien | |
| Origin of Name: Baulet was a historic owner of the site. | |||
| Clos des Ormes | 3.15 ha | Georges Lignier | |
| Origin of Name: „Vineyard of the elm trees“ | |||
| Clos Sorbè | 3.55 ha | Fourrier, Joseph Drouhin, David Duband | |
| Origin of Name: Sorbe was a historic owner of the site. | |||
| Côte Rotie | 1.23 ha | ||
| Origin of Name: The „roasted slope,“ a southern exposure. | |||
| La Bussière | 2.59 ha | Georges Roumier, monopole | The wine is labeled Clos de la Bussière. Cristophe Roumier’s mother lives in a house adjacent to the Clos. |
| Origin of Name: The vineyard was a gift from the Abbaye of Citeaux to the monks of Bussière-sur-Ouche. | |||
| La Riotte | 2.45 ha | Hubert Lignier, Perrot-Minot, Taupenot-Merme | |
| Origin of Name: „La Riotte“ is a small road in Morey that runs along the climat’s border. | |||
| Le Village | 0.90 ha | The vineyard is divided between Premier Cru and village AOP land. | |
| Les Blanchards | 1.97 ha | Remi Jeanniard | |
| Origin of Name: „Blanchards“ is derived from blanc, perhaps in reference to the color of grapes planted. | |||
| Les Chaffots | 2.62 ha | Hubert Lignier | One portion of this vineyard (1.34 ha) was absorbed into Clos Saint-Denis Grand Cru AOC in 1936, and another (0.07 ha) was absorbed into Clos de la Roche Grand Cru AOC in 1971. |
| Origin of Name: „Les Chaffots“ is named after a hayloft. | |||
| Les Charrières | 2.27 ha | Hervé Sigaut, Alain Michelot | |
| Origin of Name: „Les Charrières“ is derived from an old French word for „path.“ | |||
| Les Chenevery | 1.90 ha | Lignier-Michelot | |
| Origin of Name: „Chenevery“ has the same etymological origin as champ, and indicates a field. | |||
| Les Faconnières | 1.67 ha | Jean-Paul et Stéphane Magnien, Hubert Lignier, Lignier-Michelot | Magnien’s bottling was the first wine to actually use Les Faconnières 1er Cru on the label (instead of the generic Morey Saint Denis 1er Cru). |
| Origin of Name: The lord of this vineyard once raised and trained falcons here. | |||
| Les Genavrières | 1.19 ha | A portion of this vineyard was incorporated into Clos de la Roche Grand Cru AOC in 1971. | |
| Origin of Name: The vineyard is named after the genevrier, or „juniper“ bush. | |||
| Les Gruenchers | 0.51 ha | This is not contiguous with the Les Gruenchers vineyard in Chambolle-Musigny. | |
| Origin of Name: In a local dialect, „Gruenchers“ are walnut trees. | |||
| Les Millandes | 4.20 ha | Christian Serafin, Arlaud | |
| Origin of Name: „Les Millandes“ refers to millet, a cereal crop planted here prior to vines. | |||
| Les Ruchots | 2.58 ha | Arlaud | |
| Origin of Name: „Ruchots“ is derived from roichots, or „rocks.“ | |||
| Les Sorbès | 2.68 ha | Bernard Serveau | Les Sorbès is directly south of Clos Sorbè. |
| Origin of Name: Sorbe was a historic owner of the site. | |||
| Monts Luisants | 5.39 ha | Ponsot, Dujac | Monts Luisants includes land in all three tiers: Village, Premier Cru, and Grand Cru. This is a principal source of Morey-Saint-Denis Blanc, and the only vineyard in the commune in which Aligoté is authorized for planting. |
| Origin of Name: „Monts Luisants“ is the „glowing hill,“ so named for the color of the vine leaves, which are brighter and quite yellow, reflecting just enough light to allow vineyard workers to see during night harvesting. | |||
| **Coates, Clive. The Wines of Burgundy. Rev. ed. Berkeley: The University of California Press, 2008. | |||