2012 Morey St Denis Vieilles Vignes

(vinified with 50% whole clusters; from vines as old as 70 years of age; the tiny grapes here were picked at 13% potential alcohol): Deep, bright red. Brooding aromas of black cherry, cassis and licorice reminded me a bit of cabernet. Denser than the Rue de Vergy, with a blacker fruit character and a distinctly saline soil quality; less sweet and fruit-driven. The lush tannins showed a dusty character with air.

The 2012 Morey Saint Denis Vieilles Vignes is fascinating to taste next to the Rue de Vergy. Here, the flavors are deeper, darker and more broadly sketched. Black cherries, menthol and cloves are some of the many notes that flesh out in a wine of substantial creaminess and pure texture. The 2012 will be tempting young, but it also has the depth to develop nicely in bottle for a number of years. Virgile Lignier used 50% whole clusters here.

The 2012 Morey-Saint-Denis Vieilles Vignes comes from three lieux-dits and includes 50% whole cluster fruit and 30% new oak. This has an earthier nose at first, with stony, brambly black fruit, briary and wild hedgerow. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, lifted black and red fruit, before demonstrating fine finesse and delineation towards the long and poised finish. This will drink well for 10 to 15 years. My second visit to see Virgile Lignier, cousin of Laurent Lignier at Domaine Hubert Lignier, did not go to plan. With the winery seemingly empty, I wondered whether he had forgotten our rendezvous. I soon discovered that the original domaine is tucked away within the village of Morey Saint Denis, and that like many, expansion has meant that they had to move elsewhere to make their wines. Virgile finally appeared driving a forklift truck loading wines destined for my homeland (incidentally I wonder how many Bordeaux proprietors have such a license?) Still, we eventually sat down to taste his 2012s that had been racked mid-September and were now in tank. I have to admit, having heard so many bon mots about Lignier-Michelot, the 2011s had not swept me off my feet back last July, though I could see the potential. However, the 2012s are a different matter and showed more complexity and nuance. The harvest here commenced a little later than others on 27 September, though not as tardy as Laurent Ponsot up the road.