Bernard Moreau – 2014

Update 30.11.2015(27.11.2015)billn

DSC08340Tasted in Chassagne-Montrachet with Alex Moreau, 22 October, 2015.

Domaine Bernard Moreau et Fils
21 Route de Santenay
21190 Chassagne-Montrachet
Tel: +33 3 80 21 33 70

Alex on 2015:
“Happy with the quality. Quality whites – très correct. The reds a little less than we were expecting but their quality is fine. Still, the yields are quite okay. We began on the 28 August for whites bringing in grapes at 12.5°-12.9° so we were happy. The reds we brought in 5-6 September. The rain in August was very helpful; I’m not saying that it saved the vintage, but it was very helpful!”

Alex on 2014:
“I think it’s a very good year. There was not much triage required for the whites. At the end of the harvest we thought, yes – at a minimum good. We have weight and freshness, it seems with great balance now too – one of the nicest vintages I’ve seen – and I’ve done 20! The only complication for whites was the much different timing of malos for the different cuvées, some finished in February, others finished just before the harvest.”

Alex on the pricing of 2014s:
“Pricing will probably be kept the same as 2013 as the volume was okay in 2014. There’s very little stock at the négoce for balancing-out prices, so with empty cellars they will have to pass on the costs…”

The wines…

I noticed some bottles with a pretty wax capsule, Alex confirmed that they’d been using wax on all their 1er crus since the 2011s. The 1er crus are not at same stage of elevage as the villages; they were assembled just before harvest on fine lees, not to be bottled before February 2016. Indeed, a couple of wines were not shown because their malos had only recently finished.

As usual, a great range at this address…

2014 Bourgogne Chardonnay
The only wine bottled so far, bottled at the end of July. All the vines from the commune of Chassagne. ‘Same approach as with all our wines no battonage, no racking, just assembly before bottling, all from barrel. Elevage is a little curtailed with the hope of catching the fruit.’
Good width, modest depth, fresh and appealing. A very direct, yet slightly cushioned line of flavour the interest develops from the mid-palate where the flavour begins to spread in mouth-watering style. Actually, a lovely finish after a modest entry.

2014 St.Aubin 1er En Remilly
Malo took a little longer on this one so will be assembled in a couple of weeks.
A deep, yellow fruited nose, accented with barrel – creamy lemon. In the mouth this is also very citrus-led, the creaminess coming in the mid palate. There’s a modest suggestion of gas here, but very fine balance, and it holds a weight of fruit in the finish – a very fine finish again. Super.

2014 Chassagne-Montrachet
A very important cuvée for the domaine – accounting fully for 30% of their production. About 30% from Mazures and 2/3 from the villages section close to Puligny
A much wider, nose, accented with herb – classic chassagne – but hiding its depth today. Super in the mouth, a modest roundness, lovely energy and width of flavour then an excellent peak of flavour, almost hinting at tannin, really long.

2014 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Clos St.Jean
Deeper, fresher, yet rather tighter on width. Majoring on complexity more than intensity, a wine that’s really coming together. A super burst of finishing flavour… And again long. A great series so far…

2014 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er La Maltroye
‘This wine is always a mix if intensity and directness’ says Alex. 3 different parcels in Maltroye, with vine ages of 25, 40 and 55.
A tight ball of aroma here – coaxing out the aromas is like getting a teenager out of bed! Slowly becoming more profound. Super-direct, narrow to start, fresh and mineral really an intense finishing flavour too – what a ride!

2014 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Chenevottes
This vineyard can quickly reach over ripeness, so it’s harvested relatively early.
Wide, slightly padded with some forward citrus fruit. A little gas, also a direct, mineral, acid-led wine, hut here it melts more over the palate, showing fine width of flavour. Almost a sherbet impression as you swallow before the wine fades on the tongue – starts similarly but ends very differently to Maltroye.

2014 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Morgeot
From 2 parcels in the 60 hectare Morgeot – La Cardeuse and Farendes.
Here is an impressively open, wide and deep nose with freshness and yellow fruit – weight yet complexity. Ooh that’s a lovely texture and with a hint of tannin too – beautifully intense, finishing wider and wider, bravo!
2014 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Les Grandes Ruchottes
A flash of green mint, then its gone, fine herb and a suggested weight below. Troubled by a little gas, but get past that and the flavours are lithe and melt over the palate. Joyously fresh and tasty in the finish – ooh that’s lovely! Not fully together yet but a beauty in the making…

2014 Bâtard-Montrachet
Purchased as grapes, tasted from barrel. But racked only 2 days before, so not tasted.

2014 Chevalier-Montrachet
A cuvée at the domaine since 2010 – bought as must.
Very wide, a suggestion of petrol aroma. In the mouth it’s vibrant and mineral. Indeed a panoramic width. The mineral note holds onto your tongue and really doesn’t let go for a long time – it keeps a certain freshness of fruit too. Not overstated or ‘look at me’ but intellectually super..

Les Rouges…
Nothing yet bottled

2014 Bourgogne Pinot Noir
This is prepared for bottling in 2 weeks, 100% barrel elevage, 100% grapes from Chassagne.
A deep textured, red fruit nose, eventually a little violet flower too. Wide, impressive weight and texture for a bourgogne. Good acidity and a frankly super finishing flavour and length. Bravo bourgogne!

2014 Chassagne-Montrachet Vieilles-Vignes
To be bottled in November.
Deep colour! Fresh dark fruit, like a fruit salad, with a little more weight from the darker fruits. Bigger, with more structure and more obvious tannin, but it’s finely grained and not drying. Fresh energy in the mid-palate – certainly more intensity than the bourgogne, but needs a little more time – you could drink the bourgogne easily today, whilst waiting for this – yum!

2014 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er La Cardeuse
Again, deeply coloured. Very deep dark fruit abetted by a faint reduction. Very wide and energetic, leaving no part of your mouth untouched – more tannin than the last, but again no dryness, and here there’s more fruit and it’s a complexity of fruit that’s in the ascendant. Fresh dark fruit finishing – a coulis in the middle and more measured in the finish. Super.

2014 Volnay 1er Santenots
Also quite deeply coloured. Wide, perfumed, some whole cluster impression (between 30-40% this and the Cardeuse) . Fine tannin from the start, a much more onvious whole cluster flavour – but not a bit gothic due to the freshness, energy and vivacity, but certainly quite marked at this stage of elevage. That said, for fans of wc, and I am one, this is a lovely, lovely wine. Yum!

Agree? Disagree? Anything you'd like to add?

Burgundy Report

Translate »

You are using an outdated browser. Please update your browser to view this website correctly: https://browsehappy.com/;