2022 Henri Jouan - Morey St. Denis Clos Sorbe V.V. (750ml)

Domaine Henri Jouan is a tiny, under-the-radar estate in Morey-Saint-Denis, now led by Philippe Jouan, the fifth generation of a family that began buying vines while working as barrel-makers. Philippe took over from his father, Henri, in 2004, and the two remain longtime friends and contemporaries of the Morey legend Jacky Truchot. The domaine owns just three hectares, farms with traditional methods including old oak and cool concrete-tank fermentation, and produces only a handful of cuvées in tiny quantities.

Clos Sorbé sits on the southeastern edge of Morey-Saint-Denis, a premier cru planted entirely to Pinot Noir on limestone-rich soils. This bottling draws on the domaine's oldest vines here, roughly eighty years old, yielding a tiny amount of wine each vintage. The grapes are fully destemmed and gently vinified in concrete, then aged in mostly older oak in keeping with the domaine's traditional, low-intervention style.

The wine offers vibrant red cherry, raspberry, and wild strawberry, layered with rose petal and subtle earthy notes. On the palate it's medium-bodied and beautifully balanced, with fine-grained tannins, lively acidity, and a limestone mineral backbone that carries through a long, graceful finish. It pairs well with roasted duck, herb-crusted lamb, or a firm aged cheese.