Domaine Sylvain Morey - Saint-Aubin 1er "Les Charmois" 2022 (750ml)
Price: $119.99
| Producer | Domaine Sylvain Morey |
| Country | France |
| Region | Burgundy |
| Varietal | Chardonnay |
| Vintage | 2022 |
| Sku | 204243 |
| 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.
East-facing Les Charmois is an interestingly situated premier cru within Saint-Aubin, lying on a continuation of the main swath of Chassagne-Montrachet adjacent to premier cru Les Chaumées. Sylvain inherited his scant third of a hectare of Les Charmois from his father Jean-Marc, and the vines here—planted in 1990 in extremely stony and poor soils—yield a wine that combines the chiseled vivacity of Saint-Aubin with some of the richness and gravitas of Chassagne-Montrachet. Sylvain employs 350-liter casks, 20% of which are new, in the 16-month élevage, keeping the wine on its fine lees the entire time and never utilizing batonnage.
Only 15 cases imported!
Burghound: 90-92 Points
A more elegant and more floral-suffused nose offers up aromas of pear essence, lemon-lime and a pretty spice wisp. Here too the palate impression of the medium-bodied flavors is rich, generous and concentrated but with more refinement on the markedly dry citrus-tinged finale. Lovely and understated in style.
