Tasting Notes
Robert Parker 89-91
The 2013 Morey Saint Denis 1er Cru had been freshly racked so it was still cloudy in the glass. Therefore the nose was difficult to discern, though the palate has a juicy core of redcurrant and cranberry fruit while there feels like a fine grip on the finish. This should be attractive once in bottle, but I will reserve judgment until then. Once upon a time it was always Jeremy who received me at Domaine Dujac, but these days it is his brother Alec who escorted me down to the noisy, busy cellar, a refreshing hive of activity. Once we had finished a brief discussion on the trials of fatherhood (as misguided as my parenting tips forced upon Cecile Gagnard down in Chassagne), we commenced a tasting through both their negociant Dujac Fils & Pere wines and of course, the domaine. "It was possibly the smallest vintage," Alec told me, "certainly smaller than 2008, 2010 and 2012, yields hovering around 25hl/ha. There was poor flowering and a lot of sorting had to be done. But we had started off [the season] with low potential quantities. We now leaf-pluck quite aggressively and the fact that you have a lot of millerande helps in a growing season such as 2013. I find that there are nice textures to the wine. It’s just that the summers have been rather wet so they are not high in sugar. We had to chaptalize, but not as much as in 2011 and we found 2013 to be above 2012 in natural sugar levels generally. We started picking with the Grand Crus on 30 September and finished with the Dujac Fils & Peres. The first morning of the harvest I was quite depressed because of the rot. I wanted to make good wines because my son was born in 2013. But I cheered up as the day went on as I could see the quality of fruit coming in. And as the grapes came in we destemmed less and less, from 60% and then 90% whole bunch, so actually some of the Fils & Pere might have more stems."
Anticipated maturity: 2017-2028
Vinous 90-92
A deep, pungent wine, the 2013 Morey St. Denis 1er Cru shows the wilder side of the village. Game, smoke, licorice, tobacco and incense are pushed forward in a textured, energetic Burgundy that appears to have a bright future. The Morey 1er Cru is a blend of fruit from Ruchots, Clos Sorbe, Millandes and Charrieres.
Anticipated maturity: 2020-2035
