Wine Advisor
Lignier Michelot, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru 2014
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
(50% vendange entier; from estate parcels planted in 1990 and 1947, plus some purchased fruit from vines planted in 1965): Bright, deep red with ruby highlights; beautiful color. Deep aromas of blackberry, boysenberry, violet, smoked meat, animal fur and earth. Plush, smooth and concentrated; packed with chewy purple fruit and violet flavors. This fleshy, deep grand cru really spreads out to saturate the entire mouth on the back end, with tactile tannins contributing to an impression of vibrancy.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2014 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru is 50% whole cluster fruit. It has a denser and more opaque bouquet compared to the 2015 Clos Saint Denis -- blueberry and cassis fruit, all with a tight leash on. The palate is medium-bodied with fine but firm tannin on the entry; there is blackberry and boysenberry, and plenty of salinity here with a mineral-driven finish that leaves the tongue a tingling long after it has departed. This is very serious and deserves a few years in the cellar.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
(50% vendange entier; from estate parcels planted in 1990 and 1947, plus some purchased fruit from vines planted in 1965): Bright, deep red with ruby highlights; beautiful color. Deep aromas of blackberry, boysenberry, violet, smoked meat, animal fur and earth. Plush, smooth and concentrated; packed with chewy purple fruit and violet flavors. This fleshy, deep grand cru really spreads out to saturate the entire mouth on the back end, with tactile tannins contributing to an impression of vibrancy.
About the Producer
Domaine Lignier-Michelot is a boutique winery in Morey-Saint-Denis, in the Cote de Nuits region of Burgundy, France. Founded by the ancestors of Virgile Lignier, the winery was founded in 1988 when Virgile Lignier began to learn about farming and winemaking from his father. At that time, the winery only produced wines in large oak barrels which were then sold to other wine merchants. In 1992, after gaining experience in winemaking, he persuaded his father to gradually start bottling and selling the wines at the winery, and in 2002, after his father had officially retired, he began to run and manage the winery on his own. The vineyards of Château Rigne-Micheloux cover a total area of approximately 8.5 hectares in the wine producing villages of Moray-Saint-Denis and Gevrey Chambertin. The majority of the vineyards in the village of Moray-Saint-Denis are old vines, most of which are 50-60 years old. The vines have strong roots and are deep in the soil, allowing them to absorb the minerals from the deeper layers of the soil. Château Rigne-Micheloux has 2 Grand Cru vineyards, 3 Premier Cru vineyards and a number of village and regional vineyards. These vineyards are planted mainly with Pinot Noir. In addition, a small amount of Chardonnay is planted in some of the regional vineyards. The winemaker at Château Rigne-Micheloux is currently Vergil Rigne. Virgil has been learning about winemaking from his father since 1988 and has gained a great deal of experience. Now retired, Virgil's father still follows the family's traditional philosophy of winemaking. The grapes are hand-selected, then destemmed, broken, pressed, cold macerated, and fermented naturally for 5-6 days before being transferred to oak barrels for maturation, which can take anywhere from 12-15 months. In general, the estate uses 20% new oak barrels for its village wines, 33% new oak barrels for its Premier Cru wines and 80% to 100% new oak barrels for its Grand Cru wines, depending on the vintage. Vergil also prefers natural winemaking processes, for example, the wines are neither filtered nor clarified, but are racked to settle impurities naturally. Although this process is slow and costly, he believes that it is the only way to produce the best wines. Currently, Château Rigne-Micheloux produces an annual average of around 2,300 cases of Pinot Noir, Chambolle-Musigny, Morey-Saint-Denis, Gevrey-Chambertin and three Pinot Noirs from the village of Morey-Saint-Denis. Pinot Noir from the First Growth and 2 Pinot Noirs from the Grand Cru of Moret-Saint-Denis. Although the production of Château Rigne-Micheloux is not very high, the wines are very fruity, concentrated and balanced.
