Top Morey-St-Denis 2022 wines en primeur
Charles Curtis MW's round-up of the best Morey-St-Denis 2022 wines and how the appellation's growers are adapting to warmer conditions.
Best producers:
- Domaine Dujac
- Domaine Ponsot
- Domaine Hubert Lignier
- Domaine des Lambrays
- Clos de Tart
Scroll down for tasting notes and scores for Charles’ top-scoring Morey-St-Denis 2022 wines
Morey-Saint-Denis saw warm and dry conditions throughout the growing season. Despite this general trend, Alexandre Abel at Domaine Ponsot was surprised at the structure of the wines. He reported ‘correct’ yields of 24-25 hl/ha, unlike 2023, where they picked almost 40 hl/ha. He began to pick on 6 September. The grapes were largely under 14% potential alcohol – most were 13.5% – although total acidity was lower and pH higher than in 2020.
Jeremy Seysses at Dujac also noted the acidity, pointing out that there was much more malic acid in the 1990s and, thus, a more significant shift after malolactic fermentation. ‘It’s ironic that there was much more acidification then than there has been in [recent] warmer years,’ he remarked.
He described the measures they are adopting to combat the warmer temperatures, including more shade in the canopy and permanent cover crop. But he mused: ‘There are vignerons in Burgundy going for higher training and higher density, but in warm regions of the world it is often the opposite.’
Seysses went on to comment that the logistics of picking are becoming increasingly challenging because everything is ripe simultaneously; his team started with the whites on 30 August and moved on to Pinot on 3 September.
Cyprien Arlaud reported picking in two tranches, beginning on 29 August for the young vines and those in danger of heat damage and then returning on 3 September to start the main campaign. He noted that his Bonnes Mares was the most affected by climate change, and as a response, he has scaled back the use of new oak to retain freshness – there were no new casks this year for the Clos Saint-Denis or the Bonnes Mares.
Other strategies to avoid over-concentration outlined by Seysses were to reduce the number of punch downs and shorten the length of the fermentation: Dujac fermented for 11-12 days in total in 2022 as opposed to before when 15-18 days was the norm. Although problems were rare, he felt the potential fell just short of the best years: ‘The wines were missing a bit of that “heart-racing quality” in 2022.’
The best of the 2022 wines from Morey have less tannic grip than their neighbours in Gevrey, but this is recompensed by a lusher character. They tend to be fuller in body; and even if less focused and compact, they are more approachable than most Gevreys at a similar level. Only the top wines from the grand crus will require long ageing before enjoying. I sense that many at the village and premier cru level will open at a relatively young age.
Score table listing Charles’ top Burgundy 2022 wines all scoring 94 points or above
All 700+ Burgundy 2022 tasting notes and scores
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Morey-St-Denis | Chambolle-Musigny | Chassagne & Puligny-Montrachet | Vosne-Romanée & Nuits-St-Georges | Pommard & Volnay | Gevrey-Chambertin | Meursault |
Top-scoring Morey-St-Denis 2022 wines:
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