Domaine Odoul-Coquard Morey St. Denis 1er Cru Les Millandes 2020

Les Millandes is the more generous and approachable of Domaine Odoul-Coquard's two Morey-Saint-Denis premier crus — and it carries a personal significance for Sébastien that goes beyond the wine itself. The parcel sits just behind the family house on the Route des Grands Crus, planted by Sébastien's maternal Coquard grandfather — the vines closest to home in every sense. Les Millandes occupies the mid-slope of Morey-Saint-Denis between the grand crus Clos de la Roche and Clos Saint-Denis, on brown limestone soils with good clay content that deliver a wine of more flesh and roundness than the mineral austerity of Clos la Riotte just across the appellation. The youngest vines in the domaine's premier cru parcels were here — around 25 years old when first noted by the Burgundy Report — though they have gained another decade of age and expression since. 

A fine depth on the nose with faint spice; wide on the palate with a nice richness of flavour. Very fruity and soft with structuring and slightly spicy tannins — a wine with good ageing capacity, best given a few years before enjoying. Where Clos la Riotte presses close to the rock and delivers tension and minerality above all else, Les Millandes is more open and expressive in its youth — dark cherry, warm spice and a supple mid-palate that makes it the most immediately inviting of the Morey premier crus in the range. A wine that rewards those who are patient, but one that offers genuine pleasure even while it waits