Medium red. Expressive aromas of redcurrant, iron, mocha, earth, cinnamon and mace. Suppler and sweeter in the middle than the Chambolle village wine, but still with very good acid cut. Lovely pure pinot flavors are carried by penetrating acidity through a long, peppery, slightly tart finish. This also calls for some patience.

Sage, Szechuan pepper, and tart but ripe dark berries inform the nose and palate of the Dujac 2008 Morey-St.-Denis Fils & Pere, which exhibits even more cut as well as density than the corresponding Gevrey, but also a brighter, juicier primary fruit that permits the pungency of its finish to encompass invigoration and real refreshment. I would not be surprised to witness this performing well for another 4-5 years. The Dujac 2008s were not racked until last December, and bottling took place January through March. “The malic acid numbers were high-ish, but not significantly higher than in, say, 2006 or 2001,” says Jeremy Seysses in an effort to explain what he admitted were “for us, excessively late malos. I have a feeling it was a lack of nutrients that were wash out,” he continues, since, after all, “it rained a lot in 2008” with, he adds, “poor fruit set proving to be the vintage’s saving grace. I think we would actually have had less to harvest (i.e. worth keeping) if we had had a better fruit set. There was rot, but can you find it in any of the wines? That’s a credit to how far Burgundy has come along in terms of sorting” (which Dujac does exclusively in the vineyard, not on sorting tables – the name of their U.S. importer ironically notwithstanding). “I didn’t love my lack of options in 2007,” says Seysses of the preceding season, “so we picked early – earlier even than in 2003.” In vinification “we decided not to force too much, and just to keep it charming,” which is exactly how I thought the wines turned out. “At Domaine Dujac, we’re never been that attached to deep color, so we’re quite tolerant (in that regard), and the least thing we wanted to do was make hard wines. I de-stemmed more (than usual, or than in 2008). The fruit felt fragile, so in barrel I kept the wines under a bit more free sulfur than usual, which reinforced their lightness.” Seysses opines that 2007 was not a year in which old selections displayed their overall superiority to clones, because “if yo(‘re Pinots) were riper earlier, you were ripe while it was raining,” whereas in 2008 you could scarcely get too much ripeness. Importer: The Sorting Table, Napa, CA; tel. (415) 491-4724

Tasted out of barrel at the Domaine. Sulphured 2 ½ weeks ago, the Morey St. Denis is rather closed on the nose, showing hints of dark fruit and a gravely scent. The palate has more clarity: nice tension and energy with fresh, citrus red-cherry fruit with good precision towards the finish. Not great depth, but lively and refreshing. Fine. Drink now-2014. Tasted November 2009.