High-scoring Clos de la Roche at less than £800/6
Virgile Lignier-Michelot
His wines have been stellar for the last 5 or so vintages and his 2023s will only burnish that reputation. If you aren't familiar with his wines, you should be.
Allen Meadows, burghound.com, January 2025
Virgile Lignier-Michelot, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru 2023
£795 per 6 bottles in bond
Virgile Lignier-Michelot, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru 2022
£795 per 6 bottles in bond
Judging by reviews and prices, this is a winemaker we need to visit. We have access to a small parcel of each of the 2023 and 2022 vintages of the revered Morey-St Denis based Grand Cru of Clos de la Roche.
As Allen Meadows wrote earlier this year, with the opening clearly referencing the 2022 as well as the 2023 vintage:
I said this last year but wine quality here in 2023 is so good that it bears repeating: Lignier has fully hit his stride as an accomplished winemaker. Yes, he has had any number of past successes, but his wines have been stellar for the last 5 or so vintages and his 2023s will only burnish that reputation. If you aren't familiar with his wines, you should be.
And as Neal Martin opined in his review of the Lignier-Michelot 2023s:
The key to understanding the style of wines here is the maceration. Now much softer, these are very different wines to those I tasted a decade ago, more terroir expression, more red rather than black fruit, less gloss, less weight but more transparency.
It only remains to highlight that Clos de la Roche of this degree of widely-acclaimed quality is exceedingly rare at less than £1,000 per 6-bottle case in bond, let alone below £800.
Virgile Lignier-Michelot, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru 2023
£795 per 6 bottles in bond
96-98 points, Jasper Morris MW, insideburgundy.com November 2024
Ruby purple, with a fine concentration of dark red fruit picked at optimum ripeness. The whole bunches (90%) give a further lift to the nose, while what starts well in bouquet really gains ground on the palate. Everything is perfectly in place, a really striking Clos de la Roche with a suave middle ground and long, perfectly balanced finish. As always, this is a vineyard built for ageing. Making me smile! And the best news – there are 13 barrels! Drink from 2033-2045
95-97 points, Neal Martin, vinous.com, January 2025
The 2023 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru, which includes 80% whole bunch, has a beautifully defined bouquet that is more complex and terroir-expressive than the preceding Charmes-Chambertin. The palate is medium-bodied with a fleshy opening that disguises the insistent grip behind, a testament to Lignier-Michelot's more hands-off approach in extraction. It is refined, with lovely balance and a touch of allspice toward the finish. This is a worthy follow-up to his standout 2022. I would not be surprised if it ends up at the top of my banded score once in bottle. Drink 2027-2050
92-95 points, Allen Meadows, burghound.com, Januay 2025
A gorgeous and intricately layered nose features notes of poached plum, spice, violet, earth, smoked game and the barest hint of oak influence. The sleek, vibrant and utterly delicious medium weight flavors possess both excellent power and complexity on the dusty, balanced and built-to-age finale. This is very good with the development potential to match. Drink 2035+
Virgile Lignier-Michelot, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru 2022
£795 per 6 bottles in bond
95-98 points, Jasper Morris MW, insideburgundy.com November 2023
13 barrels this year, half domaine fruit and half contracted from a very good source. Super bright rich purple. Clearly greater intensity here. A lively vibrant red fruit raspberry, blueberry, a few more tannins, raw compared to Clos St-Denis but with greater long term potential. Excellent finish. Drink from 2032-2045
95-97 points, Neal Martin, vinous.com, January 2024
The 2022 Clos-de-la-Roche Grand Cru, which contains around 60% whole bunches, has a more cohesive bouquet compared to the Clos Saint-Denis: pure red berry fruit, wet limestone, sous-bois and a tangible sense of primal energy. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly chalky tannins. Very harmonious with perfectly judged acidity, this fans out wonderfully towards the pixelated finish. Excellent. Drink 2025-2050
94 points, Allen Meadows, burghound.com, January 2025
Here too there is just a whiff of reduction that also stops short of overshadowing the ripe and beautifully layered aromas that are composed by notes of poached plum and a variety of spice elements. I very much like the texture of the delicious medium-bodied flavors that, even if not especially dense, still possess good power and minerality while delivering excellent depth and length on the balanced bitter pit fruit finish that really fans out as it sits on the palate. Excellent. Drink 2034+