2012 Morey St Denis Les Loups

The 2012 Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru has a light, tertiary-scented bouquet with broody dark berry fruit that takes a bit of encouragement. The palate is medium-bodied with finer tannins than the village cru. This is quite a pretty wine, full of tension and grace, concluding with an unassuming, neat and linear finish that does not outstay its welcome. Fine. Thierry Brouin mourns his half empty ancient cellar that should be full of his 2012 and 2013. It is a sorrowful sight, like a crib without a baby. His wines were not spared the onslaught of disasters that beset the first half of the growing season, so that by the time he commenced the harvest on 20 September he was looking at 15 hectoliters per hectare. To put a couple of figures on that, his usual 15 barrels of Morey Saint Denis were reduced to just two barrels, the Puligny Les Folatieres and Caillerets were so measly they have been blended into a premier cru, whilst there is half the usual quantity of Clos des Lambrays. The style of Thierry’s wines can be uncompromising in their youth and his 2012s, what there remains, are no different. These wines always feel a little “raw” in their youth, quite stemmy and even green, though experience has shown not to draw too many conclusions from this, since they can age beautifully and that raw element ebbs away with time. It is interesting to note, as always, the different approaches between here and Clos de Tart, where Sylvain Pitiot commenced the main harvest eight days later on 28 September, resulting in a different style of wine. You take your pick which one you prefer. Importer: Peter Weygandt, Unionville, PA; tel. (610) 486-0800 and through most UK merchants.