Morey Saint Denis 1er cru La Riotte 2023 Domaine Olivier Jouan

The Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru La Riotte 2023 from Domaine Olivier Jouan is one of the most precious and sought-after bottles from this confidential domaine, issued from a parcel of barely 0.74 hectares of old vines whose oldest date from 1925, implanted just beside the parcel of the legendary Hubert Lignier. It is a wine that enthusiasts share among initiates, produced by a man working alone who tends his vines by hand, without certification but with absolute conviction and rigour, and who has raised his domaine to the rank of great discreet references of the Côte de Nuits.

The terroir of La Riotte

La Riotte is a Premier Cru of the Morey-Saint-Denis appellation, situated in the central part of this village nestled between Gevrey-Chambertin and Chambolle-Musigny. The soils are composed of multi-layered limestones enriched with marls rich in marine fossils, these sedimentary layers stacked over millions of years that confer on Morey-Saint-Denis its deep minerality and unique aromatic complexity. This well-drained limestone terroir, characteristic of central Côte de Nuits, produces wines that associate the softness and finesse typical of Chambolle-Musigny with a certain power and structure proper to Gevrey-Chambertin, a duality that creates the singularity and attachment of enthusiasts for this often overlooked village. Olivier Jouan's parcel shows an average age of 50 years, with the oldest vines planted in 1925, nearly a century of life, rigour and aridity that translates in the glass as concentration and depth that young vines simply cannot reproduce. Natural yields are very low, around 30 to 35 hl/ha, obtained through green harvesting in summer and severe selection at harvest.

Tasting profile

The colour is deep ruby with violet hues, bright and of fine intensity. The nose is initially slightly closed, then opens with aeration onto aromas of ripe red and black fruits, wild strawberry, cherry, blackcurrant, redcurrant, associated with floral notes of violet and a minerality of cold stone and iron that signs the limestone imprint of the terroir. Subtle notes of vanilla and fine leather testify to precise barrel ageing with a maximum of one-third new oak. On the palate, the wine is Burgundian in its fullest expression: a round, almost suave attack meets a taut, tense structure that gives it weight without ever making it heavy. The tannins are very fine, with a remarkable velvety texture, and a slight youthful astringency will evolve towards a magnificent suppleness and depth with a few years of ageing. The finish is long, fruity and slightly oaked, with impressive persistence. A wine bottled without fining or filtration, in all its purity and sincerity.

The domaine

Olivier Jouan is one of those rare and precious figures of the Burgundy vineyard, a sixth-generation vigneron at Morey-Saint-Denis who was the first in his family to vinify and bottle his own production, beginning with the 1999 vintage, after training at the Lycée Viticole de Beaune. As a teenager, he was already watching great négociants such as Bouchard and Drouhin come to buy his father's grapes, recognising their quality, and he knew that these vines deserved their own label. He installed himself in a seventeenth-century house in Arcenant, in the heart of the Hautes Côtes de Nuits, whose cave carved into rock forms the heart of his domaine. A completely solo operation, he works all his vines by hand alone, in natural organic agriculture without any official certification, out of profound conviction and refusal of any administrative validation. Beyond La Riotte, he owns a parcel in Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Les Ruchots, a hectare of Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru, and a remarkable old vine in Chambolle-Musigny Les Bussières.

Food and wine pairing

This Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru La Riotte pairs magnificently with partridge in the Burgundy style, beef Bourguignon simmered slowly, grilled châteaubriand with wild mushrooms, veal loin with black truffle or roasted pigeon with Puy lentils. It will also find fine harmony with soft cheeses such as Époisses or Soumaintrain. An hour's decanting is strongly advised for young vintages. Served between 15 and 17 °C, it will progressively reveal all the depth, minerality and breeding of a great Premier Cru of the Côte de Nuits.