There is nothing faulty about this Morey Premier Cru, but I find it ultimately lacking

I’m normally happy to pop a bottle of Morey-Saint-Denis wine, but this is far from one of the most pleasing examples I’ve had.

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Morey-Saint-Denis Premier Cru Faconnieres 2005, Virgile Lignier

The nose has a lot of very ripe fruit, which you’d hope would be quite attractive, but I am just finding it a tiny bit clumsy and poorly-focussed. I don’t think the oak has been handled with with much sophistication. Whilst there are no specific winemaking faults on the nose, it doesn’t really speak to me as a good Morey charmer. The palate has plenty of fruit and vigorous tannins, but where is the complexity? Where is the love? Again there are no obvious flaws, but it seems perilously lacking dimension, style and interest. If you are pleased by simple fruit and tannin concoctions you’d probably get on well with it. However, if you are a lover of beautiful, harmonious and classy Morey-Saint-Denis you should avoid this wall-papery entity of monotony, pop down Rue de la Bussiere and see if those lovely people at Domaine Dujac will sell you some proper wine. Alternatively, cross the Route Nationale and pay a visit to my chum Cyprien Arlaud. He makes proper Morey Premier Crus of real character and does not charge the earth for them. I’m a bit vexed that, considering the distinctly high price I paid for this, it is just seems to lack any significant degree of personality. I love good Morey, and this should have been good, so it pains me to taste it and realise I’ll have to rate it as sub-interest. I threw my money away.

The partner says I am being too hard on this wine. Given that it has clean fruit and no obvious faults he rightly points out this is better than an awfully large proportion of the wine made in Burgundy. However, just because something is better than unspeakable filth doesn’t make it worth buying. If I were feeling charitable (rather than perturbed that I purchased so poorly) I’d say this is indifferent at best, and I want to drink better wines than ‘indifferent’.

Unless I have been misinformed, the Virgile Lignier labelled wines are the negociant arm of Lignier-Michelot (please correct me if I am mistaken). I had the same premier cru labelled [link2post id=”551″]Lignier-Michelot last summer[/link2post]. Whilst I felt it was lacking a bit of complexity and clearly aimed to be a tits-out wine rather than an ethereal entity of beauty, there was more interest and charm to it than this distinctly tiresome expression of vinous tedium.