Domaine Dujac Clos de la Roche Grand Cru 2022
(Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France) - [JM 96-98] [DM 96] [WA 95-97] [VM 94-96] [BH 93-96]

About the Winery:
Domaine Dujac was founded by 26-year-old Jacques Seysses, son of a successful biscuit manufacturer, Louis Seysses. Jacques first developed his winemaking career as an apprentice to Gérard Potel at Domaine de la Pousse d’Or. After two harvests at this domaine, he learned the essentials of their winemaking style and met some of Burgundy’s most revered winemakers. In 1967, he purchased 4.5 ha (11 acres) at Domaine Marcel Graillet in Morey-Saint-Denis and renamed the winery after himself as the “Domaine of Jac”, or Domaine Dujac. 

From the start, Jacques set his mission on blending modern techniques with traditional winemaking, while also refining a style that he could call his own. In 1978, Jacques obtained a degree in oenology and, overtime, provided guidance to interns including Ted Lemon of Littorai and Jean-Pierre de Smet, former owner and winemaker of Domaine de l`Arlot. As Dujac’s holdings expanded – from 5 ha in 1968 to nearly 16 ha today – Jacques and his wife Rosalind looked beyond local markets and exported nearly 80% of their production to 18 countries around the world. 

Today, the estate is transitioning to the next generation with son Alec, assuming many of his father’s administrative duties, son Jeremy who is heavily involved in winemaking & marketing, and Jeremy’s wife Diana Snowden, a UC Davis graduate in enology in charge of managing the cellar. 

Terroir:
The Clos de la Roche Grand Cru lies between the village of Morey-Saint-Denis to the south and Gevrey-Chambertin to the north, where the slope varies greatly, ranging from 4 to 23%. The plot ranges in altitude from 276 to 308 meters. The lieu-dit faces east.

The soil changes from east to west. In the eastern part, the reddish-brown soil is about 40 to 50 cm thick, with many angular-to-blunt limestone fragments. Upslope, in the western part of the Grand Cru, the soil contains a great deal of angular limestone gravel. 

Two types of substratum underlie the Clos de la Roche Grand Cru. In the eastern part, fine-grained Premeaux limestone, light in color, with patches of flint-like chert nodules (chailles), crops out in beds tens of centimeters thick. In the western part, where the slope is steep, the bedded limestone scree (grèzes litées) lining the slope is composed of small angular Comblanchien limestone fragments.

Ratings & Reviews

96-98 Points - Jasper Morris' Inside Burgundy:
"Rich dense purple. Gorgeously attractive if a little more restrained than the Clos St-Denis. Some of the traditional blueberry. So much in reserve. I prefer the weave of the texture here especially if keeping for the longer term. On the cusp of red and black fruit at the finish, and with excellent persistence. Drink from 2032-2040+." (Nov 2023)

96 Points - Decanter Magazine:
"The 2022 Clos de la Roche from Dujac is a wine of impressive concentration, even if it is not so loveable at this point. It seems (along with the Clos Saint-Denis) to be a bit austere, but a ripe, plummy fruit opens up on the palate with nuances of smoke, earth and spice. Despite the slight austerity at this stage, this is impressively long, powerful, and nuanced, and one imagines sweet fruit will develop with time. The grapes are from their six parcels scattered throughout the climat, accounting for almost two hectares; the wine is now doing its second winter ageing in cask." Drink 2030-2065. - Charles Curtis MV (Nov 2023)

95-97 Points - Wine Advocate:
"The 2022 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru on this encounter was so pure and suave that one might have mistaken it for the Clos Saint-Denis. Offering up aromas of raspberries, cherries, sweet spices, orange zest and peony, it's full-bodied, supple and seamless, with a deep core of fruit, sweet, powdery tannins and a long, sapid finish. There is more underlying muscle and tannin here, however, and I would be surprised to see that assert itself a little more obviously in bottle." - William Kelley (Jan 2024)

94-96 Points - Vinous Media:
"The 2022 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru has a little more intensity on the nose than the Clos Saint-Denis: principally black fruit laced with hints of licorice and clove and veins of blueberry and cassis. The aromatics expand with aeration, gaining vigor all the time. The medium-bodied palate has grippy tannins and quite a bold structure but may not have the precision of the very best that I have encountered. Very saline on the aftertaste - this will require time to shave its edges in bottle." Drink 2028-2052. - Neal Martin (Nov 2023)

93-96 Points - Allen Meadows' Burghound:
"An expressive, ripe and airy nose features the relatively primary essence of plum liqueur, kirsch, spice and earth notes. The strikingly intense and sleek larger-bodied flavors possess only average concentration yet there is impressive power on the moderately austere and beautifully long finish that tightens up noticeable as it sits on the palate. I suspect that this will flesh out and add richness with time in bottle though like several wines in the range, this is going to require extended patience." (Jan 2024)