Description
”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
”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
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 the 2022 Clos de la Roche three stars and a coup de cœur — their highest recognition — calling it “a complete wine, and definitively one for long aging.” The same Guide named Jean-Louis and Léon Amiot Vignerons de l’Année 2026 in Burgundy for the consistency of excellence across their range.
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
2,000 bottles made
Vintage: 2022
2022 vintage note
2022 was a warm, generous vintage across the Côte de Nuits — excellent growing conditions producing wines of exceptional concentration and depth. For a Grand Cru site like Clos de la Roche, where the shallow soils over limestone naturally restrict yields and concentrate flavour, the vintage added ripeness and weight without sacrificing the mineral precision of the terroir. Approachable now with decanting — with the structure and depth to develop for fifteen years or more.
The 2021 vintage is also available — a leaner, more precise expression with exceptional terroir transparency, as Jean-Louis Amiot described it.
Tasting notes
Black fruits at full maturity — blackberry, cherry, and a hint of spice — on a background of well-integrated oak. The palate is ample, rich, and vigorous but perfectly balanced from beginning to end. Silky tannins, exceptional length, long mineral finish. A complete wine — the Guide Hachette des Vins described it as “majuscule” — capital, extraordinary. Drink 2027–2040.
Service: 17°C after decanting. Red meats, game in sauce, roast duck, 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.
