Description
Established in 1919 by Fernand Morey after returning from the First World War, the domaine was originally called Morey et Fils (and son) as he worked alongside his father on their 2 hectares of vines. They set up their cellar in the same old coach house that the domaine occupies today in the heart of Chassagne. The domaine was one of the first to begin bottling and selling its own wine in the 1930’s, instead of selling to négociants; which was something considered revolutionary at the time. Marc Morey, Fernand’s son, joined the domaine in 1944 and the name changed again to Domaine Fernand Morey et Fils. In 1946 they built the first of their current cellars on the original site, which are still used today.
Marie-Jo, Marc’s daughter and her husband Bernard Mollard have expanded the domaine and today they manage 9.33 hectares of family-owned vineyards. Bernard also has a little négoce business alongside the domaine. Sabine Mollard, Marc Morey’s granddaughter, joined the domaine in 2003 and has been in charge of the winemaking for several years, following an apprenticeship with her father. 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 must is run to barrel where it completes its fermentation. Here it undergoes malolactic fermentation and battonage, before maturing on fine lees for 11 – 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 in great vintages – an attribute rarely found in modern white burgundy. We still have bottles of 1995 and 1996 ‘En Virondot’ that have retained their pale colour and fresh minerality.
“Sabine Mollard is quietly going about producing some of Chassagne’s finest whites at Domaine Marc Morey … She’s usually quiet and taciturn when we first greet each other, but soon relaxes as we embark upon a tasting through her wines. I noticed a trophy on the sideboard down in the cellar – “Trophie Jeunes Talents”. I congratulated Sabine and she quipped that it was her last chance to enter before she’s above the age limit! Irrespective of any winemaker’s age, it is what in the glass that counts and I like what Sabine is doing here…if I had a trophy for making great Chassagnes then I would have presented it there and then.” Neal Martin, The Wine Advocate, December 2015
“Effectively a monopole. Its 2ha and Marc Morey own all of it except 0.1ha which they farm and buy the grapes from anyway. They have the first right of refusal on sale of this parcel so will eventually be their monopole proper. It’s a steep slope just below the top of the hill behind the village. The topsoil is very shallow at 20-30cm before the limestone bedrock, so there is a strong influence from the chalk. A little closed to start before yielding a complex array of fine green citrus fruits, spearmint, light oak spice and chalky minerality. Medium weighted its tight pithy palate is loaded with extract and fruit intensity to start but finishes with the pure mineral finish that always marks this cru. Chablis-esque in 2013. Excellent.” Tim Stock, June 2015
92 Points – “This is notably cooler and not as ripe as the Caillerets as the altitude of the vineyard is reflected in the essence of pear, apple, wet stone and citrus scents that are trimmed in just enough wood to notice. The vibrant, intense and overtly stony medium weight flavors exhibit plenty of lemon-lime character on the clean, tautly muscular and well-balanced finish that is dry but not really austere. Note that unlike some of the wines in the range this will definitely need at least a few years of bottle age as Virondot rarely drinks well in its youth.” Burghound Issue #59
RRP $185
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