The 2022 Domaine Lignier-Michelot Clos de la Roche Grand Cru is a profound 100% Pinot Noir from one of the great Grand Crus of Morey-Saint-Denis in Burgundy's Côte de Nuits. Clos de la Roche is renowned for producing powerful, mineral and exceptionally long-lived Burgundy, and Virgile Lignier's 2022 comes from holdings in Genavrières and Monts Luisants, within the Grand Cru. Sources report around 0.72 hectares of holdings, while Jasper Morris MW notes that the 2022 production amounted to just 13 barrels, approximately half domaine fruit and half fruit from a long-standing contracted source. Whole-bunch fermentation played an important role in the vintage, with Neal Martin reporting around 60% whole bunches, contributing aromatic complexity and structure to an already concentrated 2022.
This is an outstanding vintage for the wine. Raspberry, wild red berries, blueberry and plum are layered with orange zest, exotic spice, forest floor, burning embers and wet limestone, while the palate combines considerable depth with chalky tannins, mineral tension and a long, savoury finish. The critical scores are exceptional: Jasper Morris MW 95–98 Points, Neal Martin 95–97 Points, William Kelley/Wine Advocate 93–95 Points and Burghound 94 Points. Morris found significantly greater intensity here than in the domaine's Clos Saint-Denis and highlighted its greater long-term potential, while Neal Martin praised its harmony, perfectly judged acidity and exceptionally detailed finish. William Kelley described it as layered and multidimensional with a deep core of fruit, concluding that it was a terrific effort.
