Louis Latour Morey-Saint-Denis 2016 is a red Burgundy made from Pinot Noir from the Côte de Nuits, just south of Gevrey-Chambertin. Morey-Saint-Denis is known for wines with more depth and concentration than many villages in the immediate vicinity, but with tannins that often feel less stringent than in Gevrey-Chambertin. This 2016 combines 30-year-old vines, manual harvesting, and 10–12 months of aging in French oak to create a Burgundy with forest floor, raspberry, blackcurrant, mocha, and silky tannins.
Morey-Saint-Denis is located in the Côte de Nuits, the northern part of the Côte d’Or where Pinot Noir plays the leading role.
• Location / Origin: Morey-Saint-Denis is located directly south of Gevrey-Chambertin. The appellation was only clearly distinguished from neighboring villages after the strict application of Appellation Contrôlée rules in the 1930s.
• Appellation: Morey-Saint-Denis primarily produces red wines. The style is known for depth, concentration, and rich red and black fruit, with tannins that are generally less pronouncedly firm than in Gevrey-Chambertin.
• Soil: The vines grow on chalk and limestone. These soils give Pinot Noir tension, refinement, and a mineral undertone.
• Vineyard & Harvest: The vines are on average 30 years old, and the yield is around 40 hl per hectare. The grapes are harvested by hand, which is important for the precise selection of Pinot Noir.
This Morey-Saint-Denis is made entirely from Pinot Noir.
• Pinot Noir – Morey-Saint-Denis: Pinot Noir gives this wine its ruby red color, refined fruit expression, earthy depth, and silky tannins. In Morey-Saint-Denis, the grape often gains extra concentration, with aromas of red and black fruit alongside spicy and forest-like notes.
The vinification follows the classic Burgundian approach of Maison Louis Latour.
• Fermentation: The wine ferments traditionally in open vats. This method helps extract color, aroma, and structure from the Pinot Noir skins, without losing the refined side of the grape.
• Aging / Oak aging: The wine ages for 10–12 months in oak barrels, 20% of which are new wood. Louis Latour uses French oak barrels from its own cooperage with medium toast, which provides subtle spiciness, roundness, and notes of mocha.
• Aging potential: This Morey-Saint-Denis has an aging potential of 14–16 years. As a result, the 2016 now shows more development in forest floor, spiciness, and riper fruit notes.
