2020 Domaine Marc Morey Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru En Virondot
Region: Burgundy, France
Grape: Chardonnay
Culinary Suggestions: Grilled Lobster, Garlic Prawns, Salmon
Vineyard Practice: Sustainable
About
We first came across the wines of Domaine Marc Morey & Fils in the late 90s, and when we took the leap to start importing in 2009 we made a beeline for the domaine. The property has over one hundred years of history, established in 1919 by Fernand Morey after his return from the First World War. The domaine was one of the first to begin bottling and selling its own wine in the 1930’s, instead of selling to négociants, a move considered revolutionary at the time. The property has stayed in the family since with generations expanding the vineyard and renaming it Domaine Marc Morey et Fils in 1977.
Today the domaine rests in the capable hands of Sabine Mollard, Marc Morey’s granddaughter. She undertook an apprentice under her father before becoming winemaker in 2006. In 2014 she won the prestigious trophy for Best Young Viticulteur from the Côte de Beaune, as judged by her peers in the annual Groupe des Jeunes Professionnels de la Vigne awards.
The pure, yet concentrated style of the domaine is why we have always been drawn to them. Here they work with limited (25%) new oak, severely restricted yields and a desire to express their vineyards’ personality, rather than to impart their own. Hand-picked grapes are sorted and whole bunch pressed straight into temperature-controlled tanks where fermentation begins. Roughly halfway through the ferment, the liquid is run to barrel where it completes its fermentation. Here it undergoes malolactic fermentation and battonage (stirring of lees), before maturing on fine lees for 12 – 18 months.
The result is a range of Chassagnes that display their terroir with great transparency, backed by laser-like purity and mineral expression. With just the right amount of complexing artefact and an inherent richness from the natural concentration of low yields and old vines; the wines offer enjoyment when young. However, they are also structured and balanced enough to live for 20+ years at Premier Cru level. We have bottles to prove it! If you love mineral loaded terroir-driven white burgundy and haven’t tried these wines yet then don’t delay. Arguably amongst the finest bottles produced in Chassagne today. - Importer Note
Tasting Notes
A whiff of phenolic character is present on the pretty and even cooler nose of various white orchard fruit scents that are liberally laced with citrus nuances. The sleek, intense and markedly mineral-driven middle weight flavors terminate in a chiseled, youthfully austere and bitter lemon rind-inflected finale. I very much like the sense of underlying tension and this is lovely, not to mention capable of rewarding up to a decade of aging.
92 points - Allen Meadows, Burghound.com June 2022
Drink: 2028+
Quite some oak here, but also excellent citrusy freshness and a firm mineral core. This is tightly wound on the generous palate, and was definitely made for aging, needing a year or two in bottle to give its best. Long and slightly austere, stony finish. Drinkable now, but best from 2024.
93 points - jamessuckling.com October 2022