Morey Saint Denis 1er cru Les Ruchots 2023 Domaine Olivier Jouan

The Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Les Ruchots 2023 from Domaine Olivier Jouan is the more powerful and more mineral counterpart to La Riotte, two Premier Crus that this solitary and demanding vigneron vinifies with the same precise and minimalist hand, yet which reveal radically different characters. Where La Riotte seduces through finesse and femininity, Les Ruchots imposes its density, its rocky minerality and its capacity for ageing. Two crus, two characters, one signature: that of Olivier Jouan, one of the most discreet and precious vignerons of the Côte de Nuits.

The terroir of Les Ruchots

The name Les Ruchots is a geology lesson in a single word, deriving from Reuchaux, a Burgundian diminutive of Roche, designating small rocks cropping up at the soil surface, more or less exposed. An image perfectly faithful to this stony and austere terroir, situated to the south of Morey-Saint-Denis, on the border with Chambolle-Musigny, just below the prestigious Clos de Tart. What makes Les Ruchots truly exceptional is its underground geology: the parcel rests on the same limestone rock stratum as Clos de la Roche, one of the four Grands Crus of Morey-Saint-Denis, a rare geological continuity that explains the dense minerality, power and singular complexity that distinguish this Premier Cru among all its neighbours. The soil is composed of limestone, marl, red silts and gravel, with a south-east to east exposure at approximately 260 metres altitude, sheltered from cold northerly winds thanks to the natural configuration of the slope. This favourable microclimate ensures slow and harmonious grape ripening, conferring upon the wine both concentration and freshness. Olivier Jouan's vines, averaging 50 years old and managed under natural organic agriculture, produce very low yields achieved through green harvesting in summer and strict selection at harvest. The parcel is exposed to the east and south-east, and its limestone soils scattered with rocks confer upon it the graphitic and truffle-like minerality that is the signature of great Ruchots.

Tasting profile

The colour is a deep and dense ruby with violet reflections, displaying remarkable colour intensity that announces the wine's concentration. The nose is of immediate striking complexity and depth, with aromas of dark cherry, blackberry, blackcurrant and ripe red fruits interweaving with violet floral notes, spice touches and a minerality of cold stone, tree bark and graphite that marks the rocky imprint of the terroir. With aeration, hints of undergrowth and a slight animal quality begin to emerge, announcing the truffle-like evolution that will mark the wine after a few years of cellaring. On the palate, density and power command from the first attack, with concentrated and profound matter of impressive volume, carried by lively acidity that is well-integrated, bringing energy and straightness. The tannins are present and firm in youth, with a firm but never aggressive texture, with a promise of softness and silkiness over the years. The finish is long, energetic and persistent, with a length and minerality that recall the grandeur of the rock stratum it shares with Clos de la Roche. A wine for cellaring in every sense of the term, bottled without fining or filtration, destined for beautiful emotions over ten to fifteen years.

The domaine

Olivier Jouan is one of those rare and precious figures in the Burgundy vineyard, a sixth-generation vigneron in Morey-Saint-Denis who was the first in his family to vinify and bottle his own production, beginning with the 1999 vintage, after completing his training at the Lycée Viticole de Beaune. Established in a seventeenth-century house in Arcenant, in the heart of the Hautes Côtes de Nuits, whose cellar carved into the rock forms the heart of his domaine, he manages all his vines by hand alone, in natural organic agriculture without any official certification, out of deep conviction. Harvests are manual with strict sorting, maceration lasts approximately three weeks for maximum extraction, and ageing takes place in a combination of new, second and third-use oak with a maximum of one-third new wood, before bottling without fining or filtration.

Food and wine pairing

This Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Les Ruchots will pair magnificently with beef Bourguignon simmered long and slow, grilled châteaubriand with wild mushrooms, duck au sang, veal chop with girolles or game birds such as woodcock or Burgundian perdrix à la mode. It will also find fine harmony with aged soft cheeses such as Époisses or Cîteaux. Decanting for at least one hour is strongly advised in its youth. Served between 15 and 17°C, it will gradually reveal all the mineral depth, density and pedigree of a great Premier Cru from the Côte de Nuits born from the same rock stratum as Clos de la Roche.