Domaine Sylvain Morey - Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru “Les Champs Gains” 2022 (750ml)
Price: $174.99
| Producer | Domaine Sylvain Morey |
| Country | France |
| Region | Burgundy |
| Varietal | Chardonnay |
| Vintage | 2022 |
| Sku | 204241 |
| Size | 750ml |
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Domaine Sylvain Morey Description
Two of the hallmarks of Burgundy are the minuscule size and the fractured distribution of the small domains that line the Cote d’Or. Centuries of division by inheritance and often family discord have fractured once-larger land holdings into microscopic parcels. Domains have become so small (and their fractured holding so atomic) that it is has become doubtful how these domains can continue to be passed down to the next generation. In the case of Domaine Sylvain Morey, this difficult tradition continues with the dissolution of Domaine Jean-Marc Morey. Jean-Marc’s son Sylvain and his sister Caroline split their father’s holdings in 2014, making this already small family domaine much smaller. (Domaine Jean-Marc Morey was founded in 1981 when Domaine Albert Morey was split between his two sons Jean-Marc and Bernard.) We feel fortunate to continue our relationship with these familiar family parcels, however small they may be, through the impressive and thoughtful work of Sylvain.
Sylvain has spent the last few decades establishing his own domaine, Bastide du Claux, located south of Burgundy in the Luberon. His experience working on his own project, combined with the deep knowledge he gained working with his father, has matured Sylvain into a thoughtful and confident vigneron. He is someone who respects the traditional manner in which his father worked but also brings his own sensibility to the table.
The wines have a bit more power than his father’s: they are more richly textured, while still retaining a firm mineral structure.
Sylvain is content with keeping his domaine small, currently working fewer than 3 hectares. Those of you who are familiar with the variety of wines Jean-Marc Morey produced might notice that Sylvain does not offer the same range. While he did split some particular parcels with his sister, they also divvied up a few whole parcels, since they were too small to split. Still, the bulk of Sylvain’s holdings are in Chassagne Montrachet.
Sylvain’s 0.39 parcel of Chardonnay in the renowned premier cru Champs-Gains was planted back in 1952 by his grandfather Albert, and he employs an 18-month élevage in one-quarter-new 350-liter barrels, bottling it without filtration. Here, the generosity of the above villages-level wine is deemphasized in favor of gunflint and smoke; this borderline-stern minerality works in tandem with the texturally luscious fruit profile to create something of striking complexity and kinetic energy, buttressed by a lurking sense of power. The old vines express themselves in the wine’s persistent, blossoming finish.
25 cases imported.
Burghound: 90-93 Points
A smoky and mildly toasty nose of various white orchard fruit and a hint of petrol leads to rich, round, fleshy and highly seductive flavors that display good length on the clean and notably dry but not really austere finale. This could also be reasonably approached young though it should easily repay up to a decade of keeping.
