Description
”Recognised for the regularity, precision and depth of their Pinot Noirs — a style that combines power, refinement and a very pure reading of the soils of Morey-Saint-Denis.
— Guide Hachette des Vins · Vigneron de l'Année 2026 — Bourgogne
”Its ample, rich, vigorous substance — perfectly balanced from beginning to end — draws the profile of a complete, capital wine, and definitively one for long ageing.
— Guide Hachette des Vins 2025 · 3 stars · Coup de Cœur (awarded to the 2022 vintage)
The wine
Clos de la Roche is the largest Grand Cru in Morey-Saint-Denis — a 16-hectare enclosure at the northern end of the village, just south of the Grand Crus of Gevrey-Chambertin and bordered by Clos Saint-Denis to the south. The name is said to come from the topography of the site — *qui est sur la roche* — the clos that is on the rock. The other explanation is older and stranger: that a rock once existed here linked to a druidic or Celtic cult. Both stories suit the wine.
The soil is shallow and uncompromising. A thin layer of reddish silty clay over limestone, rich in calcium carbonate. The roots push through only a couple of feet of topsoil before struggling through many feet of limestone to reach moisture. That struggle produces wines of tremendous depth and ageing potential.
The Amiot parcel spans three distinct sites within the clos — Monts Luisants at the top of the slope, Fremières mid-slope, and Les Chabiots at the bottom — three different elevations and three different soil expressions within a single Grand Cru. The Clos de la Roche has been in the Amiot family for at least four generations. Vines planted between 1965 and 1982. Low yields. Hand-harvested, vinified with indigenous yeasts, one racking by hand, 16–18 months in oak. Unfined and unfiltered.
The Guide Hachette des Vins awarded Domaine Amiot et Fils its double coup de cœur for the 2023 Clos de la Roche — naming Jean-Louis and Léon Amiot Vignerons de l’Année 2026 in Burgundy. The recognition reflects the consistency of approach that produces the same quality across every vintage.
Vineyard & vintage details
Producer: Domaine Amiot et Fils
Appellation: Clos de la Roche Grand Cru AOC
Parcels: Monts Luisants · Fremières · Les Chabiots
Grape: 100% Pinot Noir
Vine age: Planted 1965–1982
Soil: Reddish silty clay over limestone · rich in calcium carbonate
Aspect: East-facing · 270–300m elevation
Farming: Sustainable · HVE certified · biodynamic practices
Harvest: Hand-harvested · low yields
Vinification: Indigenous yeasts · one racking by hand
Élevage: 16–18 months in oak
Fining / Filtration: Unfined · unfiltered
Vintage: 2021
2021 vintage note
2021 was one of Burgundy’s most challenging growing seasons — severe spring frosts dramatically reduced yields across the Côte de Nuits. Morey-Saint-Denis was less affected than many surrounding communes. Jean-Louis Amiot noted that their vines had better crop loads than many neighbours, requiring a longer wait for full maturity — harvest began on 23 September. The resulting wines show what he described as “the best terroir transparency in several years” — classic red Burgundies with good acidity, freshness, and exceptional precision. For old vines in a Grand Cru parcel where the limestone soils naturally concentrate flavour, the reduced yields of 2021 produced something genuinely compelling. Drink 2027–2038.
The 2022 vintage is also available — a warmer, more immediately generous expression of the same parcels, and the recipient of 3 stars and a coup de cœur from the Guide Hachette des Vins.
Tasting notes
Floral aromas of rose and violet alongside cranberry, red cherry, pepper, and a mineral earthiness that reflects the limestone beneath. The palate is more precise and tightly wound than the 2022 — the vintage’s natural freshness and acidity giving the wine exceptional clarity and length. Silky tannins, focused structure, clean dry finish with real mineral tension. A vintage for those who appreciate Burgundy at its most pure and site-expressive. Decant for at least two hours.
Service: 17°C after decanting. Red meats, game in sauce, roast duck, truffle dishes, mature cheeses.
About Domaine Amiot et Fils
Léon and Jean-Louis Amiot — ten generations farming in Morey-Saint-Denis. Named Vigneron de l’Année 2026 — Bourgogne by the Guide Hachette des Vins. Five hectares, fourteen appellations, Grand Cru Clos de la Roche farmed across three parcels spanning the full slope.
