Aurélien Verdet's Morey-Saint-Denis Premier Cru Les Monts Luisants comes from a hillside vineyard just above the Grand Cru Clos de la Roche. The 2020 pairs the concentration of a hot, early year with the freshness of a high site.
About This Wine
Monts Luisants covers about 5.4 hectares of east-facing slope, climbing from roughly 220 to 350 metres, with the Premier Cru band lying between village land above and Clos de la Roche below. It runs alongside Les Genavrières. 2020 brought the earliest harvest on record for most Burgundy growers after a hot, dry summer. The Côte de Nuits generally fared better than the Côte de Beaune, with small, thick-skinned berries and low pH giving reds that are concentrated yet fresh. Verdet's Monts Luisants is described as powerful but elegant, with a flinty, spicy side.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Red and black cherry, flint, and spices such as ginger and clove.
- Palate: Energetic on entry, dark berry fruit with a blood orange note and suave, velvety tannin.
- Finish: Savoury and persistent, with mineral grip and some forest floor.
Serving & Food
Five years on it is starting to open. Decant for 30 to 45 minutes and serve at 15 to 17°C in a large-bowled glass, then enjoy over the next eight to ten years. Coq au vin, roast quail or aged Comté all make good partners.
How to Enjoy
Drinkers curious about Morey-Saint-Denis from a small grower with an organic background.
Product Details
Producer: Domaine Aurélien Verdet
Appellation: Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Les Monts Luisants
Vintage: 2020
Region: Burgundy, France
Grape: Pinot Noir
Format: 750mL
About the Domaine
Aurélien Verdet is based in Arcenant, up in the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits behind Nuits-Saint-Georges. His father Alain was among the first in Burgundy to farm organically, converting in the early 1970s when the idea was seen as eccentric. Aurélien worked with David Duband before taking over the family vines in the 2000s. His own holdings, around seven hectares of Hautes-Côtes de Nuits, Côte de Nuits-Villages and Marsannay, are certified organic, and he adds a similar area of fruit from growers under contract, which lets him bottle Premier Crus from the heart of the Côte. In the cellar he works with native yeasts, handles the wine very little and keeps sulphur low, aiming for fresh, fruit-led Pinot Noir that is approachable young yet ages well.