The 2011 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru comes from a 0.30-hectare parcel located toward Montluisants and is also raised in 30% new oak. It has a perfumed bouquet with dark plum, mulberry and orange blossom scents that gain vigor with aeration. The palate is well-balanced with a succulent opening, a touch of spice at the front of the mouth with the smooth, plush raspberry and wild strawberry fruit at the back. There is a pleasing long spicy aftertaste. This is burly Grand Cru that makes up what it is missing in finesse with weight and girth. Drink 2015-2025.
This was my first visit to Domaine Lignier-Michelot, located on the eastern side of the RN47 in Morey Saint Denis. The winery itself is undergoing reconstruction with a new underground cellar on the way. Virgile Lignier-Michelot, the appended surname from his mother's side, guided me through the wines that displayed good volume for the vintage, packed full of fruit. Perhaps what the wines did not possess when compared to say Hubert Lignier, is that beguiling finesse and subtlety, but they are facets that can be fine-tuned.
Importer: Frederick Wildman Selections; New York, NY; tel. (212) 355-0700