Domaine Henri Jouan – Morey-Saint-Denis Premier Cru Clos Sorbé 2017 – Burgundy France

Jasper Morris gave this ninety-one points. The domaine's premier cru comes from two parcels of vines averaging close to seventy years in Clos Sorbé, and 2017 is widely held to be one of the domaine's strongest recent showings.

🍷 At a Glance

• Grape: 100% Pinot Noir
• Appellation: Morey-Saint-Denis Premier Cru Clos Sorbé
• Region: Côte de Nuits, Burgundy
• Vintage: 2017
• Producer: Domaine Henri Jouan
• Winemaker: Philippe Jouan
• Vines: Two parcels within the cru, old vines averaging nearly 70 years
• Estate: Three hectares across ten parcels; a few barrels still go to Joseph Drouhin each year
• Vinification: Hand-picked and fully destemmed, short cuvaison of 12 to 14 days with gentle extraction, early malolactic
• Ageing: François Frères barrels, 25 to 40% new depending on cuvée
• Serving temperature: 15–17°C
• Style: Dry red wine

👃 Tasting Notes & Experience

• Color: Medium-deep ruby
• Nose: Dark fruit and blackberry with smoke and licorice
• Palate: Mouth-filling and concentrated, complex rather than immediately charming
• Structure: Powdery, well-defined tannins
• Finish: Long and sapid

This is the wine the domaine is judged on. Two parcels of old vines in Clos Sorbé, worked by hand with no chemical inputs, fully destemmed, and given a short gentle cuvaison before François Frères barrels. Critics who follow the estate consider the run from 2015 through 2017 its strongest recent stretch. Everything about the operation is small: three hectares, ten parcels, a hundred-year-old wooden press, and no marketing at all, because there are so few bottles to sell in the first place.

❤️ Why We Love It

• 91 points from Jasper Morris for this exact vintage
• Seventy-year-old vines in one of Morey's better premier crus
• Six bottles from a three-hectare domaine

🍽️ Food Pairing Ideas

• Roast game, venison and duck
• Beef in red wine sauce
• Mushrooms, truffle and aged cheeses

👤 Who This Wine Is For

✓ Collectors who want premier cru Morey with real old-vine depth
✓ Anyone buying a domaine before it gets discovered
✕ Not ideal if you want something soft and easy tonight

91 points, Jasper Morris (Inside Burgundy).