Domaine Lignier-Michelot Clos de la Roche Grand Cru 2020

Domaine Lignier-Michelot has been part of the landscape of Morey St. Denis since early in the twentieth century, but like so many of its neighbors throughout the Côte d’Or, during most of that time the domaine was content to sell off its entire production to négociants. The current head of this fine eight hectare domaine, Virgile Lignier, who joined his father Maurice at the domaine in 1992, is the fourth generation to run the family property, and was instrumental in the family beginning to offer their wines for sale in bottle.

• Variety: Pinot Noir
• Vine Age: Planted in 1968, 1990s
• Terroir: Multiple small parcels bordering Les Monts Luisants, shallow soil (30cm) mostly limestone with large stones and some small rocks.
• Viticulture: Some purchased grapes, his vines are organic (uncertified)
• Vinification: 50% whole-cluster, short cold maceration before fermentation, rapid de-vatting. Aged for 12 months in barrel (80-100% new), 5 months settling in tank, unfined.

Virgile has been buying grapes from the same producer since 2004.

For his own vines, he finds this parcel too dangerous to work with the typical Burgundian enjambeur, so soils are plowed by horse and any treatments are carried out with a lower caterpillar, which he borrows from a vigneron friend.