Armand Heitz Morey Saint Denis 1er Cru Monts Luisants 2021

Armand Heitz Morey Saint Denis 1er Cru Monts Luisants comes from a premier cru perched at the very top of the slope above the grand cru Clos de la Roche.

Morey-Saint-Denis is the quietest of the great Côte de Nuits communes, squeezed between Gevrey-Chambertin and Chambolle-Musigny and often overlooked despite holding four grands crus of its own. Monts Luisants climbs above Clos de la Roche towards the treeline, where the soil is thin, stony and poor and the altitude makes for a later harvest; it is one of the few premiers crus in the Côte de Nuits planted to both red and white. Armand Heitz took over his family's vines in the 2010s and farms organically, with a regenerative approach that brings livestock, trees and hedgerows back into the vineyards.

Decant an hour before serving at cellar temperature, alongside game birds, duck or mushroom dishes, and expect it to improve for a decade or more.

*Every effort is made to ensure the current vintage is accurate; however, variations can occur. If you are after a specific vintage, please contact us prior to ordering.

Type: Red Wine
Style: Light-bodied, Tensile, Perfumed
Grape Varietal: Pinot Noir
Tastes Like: Comparable to a fine Pinot Noir, but firmer and more mineral than a fruit-driven New World example
Alcohol Percentage: 13%
Closure: Cork
Size: 750mL
Appellation: Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru AOC
Region: Morey-Saint-Denis, Côte de Nuits, Burgundy, France
Terroir: High on the slope where soil thins to almost nothing over limestone
Aging: A proportion of whole bunches, raised in barrel with new oak used sparingly
Serving Temperature: 15–16℃ – Serve at cellar temperature

Armand Heitz took over his family’s vines in the 2010s, working from Chassagne-Montrachet and Pommard, and farms organically with a regenerative approach that brings livestock, trees and hedgerows back among the vines. The reds are made with a proportion of whole bunches and raised in barrel, with new oak used sparingly.

Monts Luisants is a premier cru high on the slope above Morey-Saint-Denis, in the Côte de Nuits. It sits at the top of the hillside where the soil thins to almost nothing over limestone, conditions that give wines of pronounced tension and lift rather than weight. The cru is unusual in producing both red and white, and the reds carry the firmer, darker register that distinguishes the Côte de Nuits from the Beaune side.

Game: Perfect with hare, venison, pheasant or partridge
Poultry: Excellent with roast duck, pigeon or guinea fowl
Meat: Pairs beautifully with roast veal, beef fillet or rabbit in mustard
Mushroom: Ideal with ceps, morels or truffle dishes

Ami du Chambertin: The washed rind of Gevrey, made for the reds of this stretch of slope
Époisses: Pungent and rich, meeting the wine’s depth
Cîteaux: A Burgundian abbey cheese, supple and savoury
Comté: Nutty and firm, softening the wine’s tannin

Lapin à la Moutarde (Rabbit with Dijon Mustard)

Ingredients (Serves 4):

• 1 rabbit, jointed into 6 pieces
• 4 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 150g smoked bacon lardons
• 2 French shallots, finely chopped
• 200ml dry white wine
• 200ml chicken stock
• 200ml thick cream
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 40g butter
• 1 tbsp neutral oil
• Salt and cracked black pepper
• Buttered noodles, to serve

Instructions:

1. Season the rabbit and coat each piece thoroughly with half the Dijon mustard. Leave for 30 minutes.
2. Render the lardons in a heavy casserole, lift them out and set aside.
3. Add the butter and oil, and brown the rabbit gently on all sides without scorching the mustard.
4. Remove the rabbit, soften the shallots in the pan, then pour in the white wine and reduce by half.
5. Add the stock and thyme, return the rabbit and lardons, cover and simmer gently for 40 minutes.
6. Lift out the rabbit and keep it warm.
7. Stir the cream and remaining mustard into the sauce and reduce until it coats a spoon. Do not let it boil hard.
8. Return the rabbit to warm through, check the seasoning and serve with buttered noodles.

Dijon sits at the northern end of the Côte d’Or and its mustard is as Burgundian as the wine. The dish suits these reds well: the wine’s perfume and fine tannin work with the delicate rabbit rather than against it, while its acidity balances a rich mustard cream sauce.