Domaine des Lambrays - Morey St Denis 1er Cru 'Les Loups' 2019

Wine Region: Burgundy - France

Grape: Pinot Noir (100%)

The Premier Cru Les Loups is a blend of young vines from Clos des Lambrays with vines from Clos Sorbet, located at the feet of the house. Its names refers to the totemic animal of the village. Indeed two wolves appear on the Morey-Saint-Denis’ blazon as well as on the Lambrays’ one.

Expert Rating

93 points Burghound

'Moderate wood frames the slightly more elegant if otherwise similar aromatic profile. On the palate there is more volume and richness to the delicious, textured and sappy medium-bodied flavors that culminate in a youthfully austere, mouth coating and sneaky long finish. Note that this excellent effort is sufficiently structured and well-balanced to reward a decade plus of cellaring. *Outstanding*'(1/2022)

93 points Decanter

' This Premier Cru Morey is produced from three parcels - Les Sorbets, Le Village and Les Riotte - located just below the grands crus. Half of the grapes are fermented as whole clusters and the wine is aged in 40% new casks. The result has notes of Havana cigar, spice and what director, Jacques Devauges, called 'vegetale noble' – the elegant menthol aromas from whole clusters. Less forward than the village wine, but more substantial, structured and intense. Drinking Window 2021 - 2039. (CC) ' (10/2020)

91-93 points Wine Advocate

'The 2019 Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Les Loups is promising, bursting from the glass with a dramatic bouquet of cassis, wild berries, blood orange, peonies, spices and incense. Medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with lively acids and powdery tannins, it concludes with a sapid, subtly carnal finish. Jacques Desvauges's first vintage at the Domaine des Lambrays was marked by a number of new initiatives. Organic farming required custom-made tractors capable of traversing the clos's steep upper slopes, and mechanical cultivation was necessarily complemented by plenty of manual work with the "pioche" (a task that I can personally attest is arduous). Yields were low, at some 15 hectoliters per hectare in the clos itself, and Desvauges vinified parcel by parcel, getting to know his charge. The results are very fine indeed, and I'm sure they auger well for the future of this important estate. I'll be reporting in more detail on the domaine's evolution in the near future. (WK) ' (12/2021)

90-92 points Vinous

'The 2019 Morey-Saint-Denis Les Loups 1er Cru comes from La Riotte, Les Sorbets and Le Village. The 50% whole bunch lends this much more complexity and freshness compared to the Village Cru - white pepper and discrete loamy aromas unfolding from the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, a fine bead of acidity here with a fresh, quite saline finish. This is a big and tangible step up from the Village Cru. (NM)' (12/2020)

About the Winery:

Domaine des Lambrays was established in 1363 yet it was only in 1981 that this climat was finally promoted to Grand Cru. The estate was purchased in 1996 by the Freune family and since then dramatic changes have taken place, leading to an upsurge in quality. At 8.8 hectares, this is the largest Grand Cru parcel in Burgundy under one proprietor.

As well as the grand cru itself, the Domaine also owns vines in premier cru and village vineyards in Morey, and since 1993, two premier cru vineyards in Puligny Montrachet, les Folatières and Clos du Cailleret, purchased from Domaine Chartron.

Winemaker Thierry Brouin has been in charge since 1979. The vineyards are run on more or less organic lines, with no chemical anti-rot sprays, and ploughing of the soil by horse. In the cellar, he likes to use the majority of the stems, favours punching down over pumping over, and prefers to restrain the amount of new oak – around 50% for the grand cru. The produce of young vines is downgraded to Morey St Denis 1er cru where it joins the fruit of tiny holdings of La Riotte and Le Village. The village Morey comes from La Riotte, Clos Solon, Les Larreys and especially La Bidaude which lies just above the Clos des Lambrays.

Domaine des Lambrays produces wines which possess balance, power and finesse and which fully live up to their Grand Cru status.