A grive is the bird we call a thrush in English. This is one of the Ponsot family’s foundational wines, with the first-ever crop harvested in 1872! It’s a single-vineyard wine from a 0.62-hectare plot of vines just behind the domaine’s ‘Petit Château’ at the very top of the Morey slope. It’s easy to find on the map as this is the village-designated section of Monts Luisants, right above the 1er Cru area of the same climat (in fact, Monts Luisants is a vineyard that is partially village, 1er Cru and Grand Cru, the latter portion sitting in the Clos de la Roche appellation). The altitude is 350 metres, and the soil is extremely rocky, covered with Comblanchien limestone scree (calcaire à entroques). Shading and cool air from the forest also exert a strong influence.
All the points above make for a long ripening period and typically a more perfumed, savoury and mineral village wine—a wine of the forest. It’s worth pointing out that most village wines in Burgundy—and certainly Morey—tend to come from 150-odd metres lower on the Côte. So, this wine is rather unique.