Domaine Hubert Lignier, Pinot Noir, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru, Morey-Saint-Denis, Côte de Nuits, Burgundy, France 2017

This formidable Grand Cru has always been the standard bearer of the Lignier domaine.

This is a complete wine marked by somber black fruits and firm yet subtle tannins; it has exceptional breed and fine aging potential.

The Ligniers own one hectare in Clos de la Roche. The vines are between 50 and 60 years of age split between two holdings: 0.62 hectares in the climat of “Monts Luiants” and 0.28 hectares in ‘Les Fremieres”.

Clos de la Roche possesses an unusually broad variety of soil types, and Lignier’s rendering of this cru seems to capture this complexity in its endlessly layered mineral core. It is a wine of imposing power and density, massive in scale but also incredibly nuanced — in fact, it is almost paradoxical in its ability to express such size but also render such fine detail.

Needless to say, the wine develops beautifully, regally, and glacially in bottle, as many older wines enjoyed over the past few decades have so emphatically illustrated.