Morey-Saint-Denis Premier Cru wines are those made under the strictest conditions of the Morey-Saint-Denis appellation, from grapes grown exclusively in Premier Cru-classified sites. A commune in the Cote de Nuits sub-region of Burgundy, Morey-Saint-Denis is home to 20 Premier Cru climats. These are located to the north and east of the village itself, with the majority sitting immediately below it on the lower mid-slope of the Cote d'Or escarpment.
© BIVB / GADENNE D.
The vast majority of Morey-Saint-Denis Premier Cru wine is red, made predominantly from Pinot Noir. White wines represent only 5% of the total output, produced mostly from Chardonnay. This is a similar ratio to that found in Fixin and Nuits-Saint-Georges. Plantings of white grape varieties are limited to a small number of specific vineyard sites (climats), where the terroir is particularly suitable. A good example is the Monts Luisants vineyard. Its name ('The Shining Hillside') is derived from the golden-green leaves of the white grape vines that shine out among a sea of deep-red Pinot Noir leaves in the fall. This site has a further peculiarity, as it is the source of one of the rare Cote d'Or Premier Cru wines to be made from Aligote grapes.
Roughly a third of the 345 acres (140ha) currently under vine in Morey-Saint-Denis are classified as Premier Cru. They are mostly sites with either thin, well-drained, oolitic limestone soils, or slightly richer soils with a high marlstone component.
The style of an archetypal Morey-Saint-Denis Premier Cru wine represents a mid-point between the firm, substantial approach of Gevrey-Chambertin and the bold, but slightly more open, perfumed demeanor of Chambolle-Musigny. This is a generalization, of course, as the variation of terroir within the commune is sufficient to create multiple, very different styles of wine.
