© BIVB / GADENNE D.
Clos des Ormes is one of Morey-Saint-Denis' most prestigious Premier Cru climats, located on the hill below the Clos de la Roche Grand Cru vineyard. The vineyard is planted entirely to Pinot Noir, and is known for its lush, structured examples of that variety with earthy cherry characters.
The 7.5 acre (3ha) vineyard lies at the bottom of the Cote d'Or slope, at the very northern end of the Morey-Saint-Denis commune. Gevrey-Chambertin's Mazoyeres-Chambertin Grand Cru is just to the north, while a line of Premier Cru vineyards lies to the south. Clos des Ormes is named for the endangered elms that were once far more common a sight in this part of Burgundy.
Clos des Ormes has a similar terroir to the Clos de la Roche vineyard above, with marly, rocky limestone soils. These soils are free draining and not very deep, which makes the site good for viticulture: vines that lack easy access to water will work harder for it, and preserve their energy to produce small, high-quality berries rather than leafy vegetation.
The easterly aspect of the vineyard is also similar to that of Clos de la Roche, although Clos des Ormes' position lower on the slope means that it is less steep. While there is still plentiful exposure to sunlight during the growing season, this is slightly less pronounced than in the Grand Cru vineyard above. As a result, Clos des Ormes wines are a little leaner than Morey-Saint-Denis Grand Cru wines, but not so lean as the vineyards higher on the slope like the Monts Luisants Premier Cru climat.
Clos des Ormes is one of the most respected of the Morey-Saint-Denis Premier Cru vineyards. When Morey adapted the Burgundian practice of adding the name of the most prestigious vineyard to the village name (as in Gevrey-Chambertin and Vosne-Romanee), Clos des Ormes was put forward as a contender, eventually losing out to Clos Saint-Denis.
