François Legros - Morey-Saint-Denis 1er cru "Clos Sorbé" 2019

“The 2019 Morey-Saint-Denis Clos Sorbé 1er Cru, from just under Clos des Lambrays, has an attractive blackberry, quite marine-influenced bouquet. The palate is medium-bodied with black fruit laced with black pepper, touches of liquorice furnishing the finish. There is satisfying length here – excellent. Drinking window: 2023-2036. 91 points

Another name that’s new to my report is Domaine François Legros, in Nuits Saint-Georges. Legros, who took over the domaine in 1988, is one of those “dirt under the fingernails” winemakers, a man who is happiest out working in the vines. “My ancestors worked at Château de la Tour and my parents still live in Vougeot,” he told me. “They lived in the chateau.” He has expanded the holdings to around eight hectares that, unusually, span both white and red in the Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits, this diaspora due partly to working parcels previously owned by his father-in-law. He is now assisted by his daughter Charlotte, who trained at the University of Beaune. Legros has converted all his vineyards to lutte raisonée, works some parcels by horse, and hand-picks and sorts his fruit in the vineyard and then on a vibrating table. For the reds, around 90% is de-stemmed, with manual pigeage. He keeps the wines on the lees with no racking, employing around 30% new oak for his Premier Crus. He told me that the whites were bottled the previous week and came in with 13.6–13.8% alcohol. Tasting through his 2020s, I preferred his reds to his whites, which displayed traits of sur-maturité. By contrast, the reds were fresher and more terroir-driven and therefore come recommended. I look forward to returning to this address in the future.”

Neal Martin, Vinous (12/21)