Henri & Philippe Jouan Morey St Denis Clos Sorbe Vieilles Vignes 1er Cru 2022 (750ML)

17 JR

Mid crimson. Sweet red fruit with a touch of vanilla/oak sweetness. So inviting. Smooth, deep rather than rich, pure and harmonious. –Julia Harding MW, Jancis Robinson

This tiny estate is situated in the village of Morey-Saint-Denis and run by Phillipe Jouan, the fifth generation of his family to make Pinot Noir here. With only 3 hectares of vines being farmed, Henri and Philippe Jouan fly under the radar with such small quantities being produced. This red Burgundy is both high quality and inexpensive – perfect for a week night wine when you simply crave a reliable red Burgundy.

As I've written before, it surely helps that Jouan is blessed with an enviable palette of parcels in choice appellations, largely planted with old-vine Pinot Fin. "Old vines limit yields," says Philippe Jouan, adding that making wine with grapes like this "is easy, what!" In the cuverie and cellar, the approach is resolutely traditional, with destemmed grapes fermented in concrete, the duration of cuvaison determined by taste and manual basket pressing. The wines are never pumped, descending to barrel by gravity, where they are attentively topped up. Until recently, bottling was by hand, barrel to barrel; today, a modern bottling line facilitates the process. Part of the production is sold under Jouan's label, but the Maison Joseph Drouhin is also a long-time client, and visitors will find Drouhin's barrels in the cellar along with Jouan's own—both, alike, from François Frères (though I noticed several interlopers from Tonnellerie Plantagenet on my most recent visit).—William Kelley