Domaine DUJAC Bonnes Mares Grand Cru 2024

Domaine DUJAC Bonnes Mares Grand Cru 2024

Domaine Dujac Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru 2024 is a red Burgundy from a small, steeply sloped parcel in one of the Côte de Nuits’ most powerful and complex Grand Crus. Made from 100% Pinot Noir on a mix of crinoidal limestone and oyster-shell marl, it combines the site’s depth, structure and dark fruit with Dujac’s whole-bunch, low-intervention style and the freshness of the challenging 2024 vintage.

Technical Details

• Producer: Domaine Dujac, Morey-Saint-Denis, Côte de Nuits, Burgundy, France

• Wine: Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru

• Appellation: Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru, Côte de Nuits

• Vintage: 2024

• Grape variety: 100% Pinot Noir

• Vineyard: Bonnes-Mares

• Domaine holding: 0.58 hectares, approximately 1.4 acres

• Vineyard location: Between Morey-Saint-Denis to the north and Chambolle-Musigny to the south

• Vineyard position: Mid-slope, on a very steep 11% gradient

• Altitude: 278–296 metres

• Aspect: East-facing

• Soil: Reddish-brown soils with crinoidal limestone fragments in the east; lighter, less stony soils with small oyster shells in the west

• Subsoil: Ocher limestone rich in marine debris in the east; marls rich in small oyster shells (marnes à Ostrea Acuminata) in the upper western quarter

• Harvest: Manual

• Fermentation: Whole-bunch fermentation, with little or no destemming depending on the vintage

• Yeasts: Indigenous

• Ageing: Approximately 14–18 months in French oak barrels

• Bottle size: 750 ml

• Closure: Natural cork

• Release status: Not yet ready for release; en primeur allocation wine

• Serving temperature: 15–17°C once mature

The Producer

Domaine Dujac is one of Burgundy’s most respected estates, founded in 1967 by Jacques Seysses and now led by the Seysses family. The domaine is known for perfumed, finely structured Pinot Noirs that emphasize terroir transparency, aromatic complexity and elegance.

Dujac acquired its Bonnes-Mares holding in 1969, a 0.58-hectare parcel on the Morey-Saint-Denis side of the Grand Cru. The estate has farmed its vines organically since 2001, and its Bonnes-Mares is recognized for its structured, aromatic and deeply mineral expression of the appellation.

Vineyard and Terroir

Bonnes-Mares lies between Morey-Saint-Denis and Chambolle-Musigny, on a steep east-facing slope halfway up the hillside. Dujac’s parcel sits at 278–296 metres on an 11% gradient, in the northern, Morey-oriented section of the Grand Cru.

The terroir changes from east to west: the eastern part has 40–50 cm of reddish-brown soil with frequent blunt crinoidal limestone fragments, while the western part has lighter, less stony soil with small oyster shells. Beneath it lie two different substrata—ocher limestone rich in marine debris in the east, and marls rich in small oyster shells in the upper western quarter—giving the wine both power and mineral complexity.

The 2024 Vintage

The 2024 Burgundy growing season was exceptionally difficult, with heavy rainfall, cool temperatures and widespread mildew pressure. Frost, hail and disease pressure made the growing season particularly challenging for Pinot Noir, and yields fell dramatically in the worst-affected parcels.

Despite these difficulties, careful fruit selection and meticulous vineyard work allowed producers such as Dujac to retain the freshness, aromatic definition and fine tannic structure that define the vintage. The resulting reds are expected to be lighter in weight than riper recent years, but precise, energetic and highly transparent.

Winemaking and Ageing

Dujac’s Pinot Noir is hand-harvested and vinified with whole bunches, with the proportion of stems adapted to the character of the vintage. Fermentation uses indigenous yeasts and lasts around two weeks, beginning with light pigeage and later gentle remontage for a softer extraction.

After pressing, the wine is moved by gravity to the cellar and aged for approximately 14–18 months in French oak barrels. Dujac selects its barrels well in advance to ensure proper seasoning, aiming for subtle oak integration that supports the wine’s fruit, spice and mineral structure.

Expected Tasting Profile

As an unreleased 2024, this wine should be approached as a tightly structured, mineral-driven Grand Cru with significant ageing potential. Bonnes-Mares is typically more powerful and brooding than Clos Saint-Denis or Échezeaux, with darker fruit, firmer tannins and a pronounced mineral backbone.

Dujac’s version is likely to show its signature perfume and transparency: black cherry, blackberry, plum, musk, nutmeg, iron, graphite and subtle earthy notes. The 2024 vintage should bring additional freshness and tension, with fine-grained tannins and a long, saline finish.

Aroma and flavour: black cherry, blackberry, plum, musk, nutmeg, iron, graphite, forest floor, subtle earth and mineral notes.

Palate: medium- to full-bodied, structured and intense, with firm grainy tannins, vibrant acidity, layered dark fruit and a long mineral finish.

Style: a powerful yet refined Grand Cru Pinot Noir—denser and more structured than Clos Saint-Denis, with Dujac’s aromatic lift and the cool-vintage precision of 2024.

Drinking Window

As an unreleased 2024 Grand Cru, this is primarily a cellaring wine. It should benefit from several years in bottle after release, allowing its tannins, oak and mineral complexity to integrate.

A realistic drinking window is likely to begin around 2031–2035 and extend for two decades or more under good cellar conditions. Serve it initially at 15–17°C and allow it plenty of air to open.

Food Pairing

Once mature, pair it with roast duck, pheasant, guinea fowl, venison, lamb or beef in a light red-wine sauce. Its acidity and firm tannins also suit mushroom-based dishes, truffle preparations and semi-aged cheeses such as Époisses, Comté or Cîteaux.

Avoid very spicy or heavily smoked dishes, which can overwhelm the wine’s dark fruit, mineral precision and fine structure.

Collector Note

This is a rare allocation wine from one of Burgundy’s most sought-after producers, made from a small holding in one of the Côte de Nuits’ great Grand Crus. Dujac’s Bonnes-Mares is produced in limited quantities, and the dramatically reduced yields of the 2024 vintage are likely to make availability especially tight.

The combination of Dujac’s reputation, the limestone-rich Bonnes-Mares terroir and the freshness of the 2024 vintage makes this a compelling long-term proposition for collectors of age-worthy red Burgundy.

Recommended serving: after several years of cellaring, open and decant for 1–2 hours before serving at 15–17°C; use a large Burgundy glass to allow its dark fruit, spice and mineral depth to unfold.

Vineyard notes:

"The Bonnes Mares Grand Cru lies between the village of Morey-Saint-Denis to the north and Chambolle-Musigny to the south, halfway up the hillside where the slope is very steep (11%). The plot ranges in altitude from 278 to 296 meters. The lieu-dit faces east. The soil changes from east to west. The reddish-brown soil in the eastern part is 40 to 50 cm thick, with frequent blunt crinoidal limestone fragments (calcaire à Entroques). To the west, the light-colored soil is about as thick, but less stony, with some small oyster shells. Two different types of substratum underlie Les Bonnes Mares. In the eastern part, ocher limestone rich in debris from marine organisms (calcaire à Entroques) crops out in places, because there was once a quarry in this Grand Cru. In the upper quarter of the plot, to the west, this limestone is overlain by marls rich in small oyster shells (marnes à Ostrea Acuminata)."

Classification

Grand Cru

Drinking Window

2028-2060

Maturation

Oaked

Ageing

The wines will spend 14 to 18 months in oak barrels. We buy the wood two years in advance to guarantee sufficient drying time for the quality of our barrels. Elevage plays a key role in refining the tannins, which is why we use a significant proportion of new wood.

Winemaking

Our grapes are vinified with little or no destemming, depending on the nature of the vintage. Only indigenous yeasts are used to preserve the authentic origin of the wines. Fermentation lasts about two weeks with some light punching down at the start, then pumping over for a smoother extraction towards the end of fermentation. The main concern is the balance between firmness and suppleness for the tannins. After being lightly pressed in a pneumatic press, the wines are transferred to the cellar by gravity.