The esteemed Clos Saint-Denis Grand Cru graces the landscape between the villages of Morey-Saint-Denis and Gevrey-Chambertin, nestled amidst a landscape of remarkable steepness, boasting an impressive gradient of 13%. Ascending from altitudes of 284 to 309 meters, this distinguished lieu-dit gazes toward the east-southeast sun, basking in its radiant embrace.
A symphony of soil unfolds across the terrain, painting a portrait of elegance and complexity. To the east, a rich tapestry of reddish-brown soil, adorned with angular-to-rounded limestone fragments, lays the foundation for this noble vineyard. Ascending the slope to the west, the soil transforms, revealing a wealth of fine angular limestone gravel, lending a sense of opulence to the landscape.
Beneath this hallowed ground lies a tale of geological intrigue. To the east, a fine light-colored limestone, occasionally speckled with flint-like chert nodules, whispers tales of ancient origins. Meanwhile, to the west, where the slope steepens, a delicate layer of Comblanchien limestone scree, adorned with fine angular gravel, adds a touch of mystique to the vineyard's storied history.
The 2021 Clos Saint-Denis Grand Cru comes from Les Chaffots, Calouere and the titular lieux-dits. Impressive delineation and mineralité on the nose, this is taut and focused; a light marine note percolates through with time. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannins, taut and fresh, building in concentration towards the finish with gentle but insistent grip. There is a sense of harmony and completeness in situ.
The 2021 Clos Saint-Denis Grand Cru is brilliant, wafting from the glass with aromas of sweet red berries, summer fruit compote, sweet spices, licorice, peony and coniferous forest floor. Full-bodied, ample and layered, it's fleshy and textural, its satiny attack segueing into a deep, seamless mid-palate and a perfumed, penetrating finish.
An elegant, pure and ultra-fresh nose freely offers up its combination of red and dark currant, violet, anise and a whisper of wood influence. The seductively textured medium weight flavors possess both good underlying tension and detail along with a discreet bead of minerality that adds a sense of lift on the sneaky long finish. This too could use better depth but that should reasonably develop.