Tasted in Chassagne with Thibault Morey, 22 October 2015.
Domaine Morey-Coffinet
6 Place du Grand Four
21190 Chassagne-Montrachet
Tel: +33 3 80 21 31 71
www.domainemoreycoffinet.com
The most obvious thing that strikes me about the home of this domaine is the truly impressive complex of large cellars beneath the house – and I get to see a lot of cellars 😉
10 generations of the family tended vines here in Chassagne. The last 5 were only vignerons, before that the more traditional blend paysan/vignerons. As a wine selling commercial entity, this estate is rather a baby having begun to commercialise their own bottles in 1990. The name of the domaine today reflects a merger of the vineyards of Marc Morey and Ferdinand Coffinet, the different lines of Thibault Morey’s parents, Thibault joining the domaine in 2000.
The domaine is a little over 9 hectares and extends to 28 different parcels of vines. Save for a little Puligny Pucelles, all the wines hail from Chassagne-Montrachet.
Thibault on 2015:
“All the 2015 sugars have finished, a couple are already beginning their malo. Ripe and clean, from that aspect exceptional. The whites were good at 50 hl/ha yields, the reds, sadly, just 25 hl/ha. It wasn’t a case of just smaller grapes, there were less bunches too. I harvested from 1-6 September. Bought a little in must but always from the same people where I’ve confidence in what they do.”
Thibault on 2014:
“Classic, direct and pure, bottling will probably be in about June.”
Thibault on pricing of 2014s:
“2014s will probably get an increase for inflation, but just that…”
The wines…
I’ve always admired the wines from this domaine, though often felt that they wore a little too much (oak) make-up. It seems to me that this has changed in the most recent vintages, where the wines now appear (more) pure and direct – particularly so in this 2014 vintage.
2014 Bourgogne Blanc
2 parcels from the lower slopes of the commune of Chassagne.
Wide and fresh, with intensity too, something of a lemon/lime impression. Rather large-scaled, with a pretty almost salted freshness. A good burst of energy in the finish too – yum!
2014 Saint Romain
Négoce from Sous la Chateau.
Deeper, more intense and concentrated – more clarity of citrus fruit. Intense and quite big, with a late arriving richness of texture, but basically a mineral and fine wine here. Lovely.
2014 Chassagne-Montrachet
One big parcel in Houliers – 35% new oak but you’d never know.
Starts a little wider, less effusive, pretty and delicate. Wide, again intense, and with very nice texture and penetrating but never sharp acidity.
The first three wines are bottled. From here the rest are in tank.
A little tight – at the base there’s a classic, herby, Chassagne character, above, a modest freshness. Beautiful texture, simply gorgeous in the mouth – liquid intensity of flavour – of-course super-mineral, but not a hint of harshness here. Concentrated enjoyment.
2014 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er La Romanée
Deeper nose with a hint of reduction, bringing mineral and agrume notes. No fat but a joyous, sugar-edged energy and growing intensity – a beauty again. Mouth-watering in the finish with steely mineral note.
2014 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Morgeot Farendes
Wide, silky, ripe fruit, but not a hint of over ripe. Not forceful, but certainly beautiful. A certain padding to the texture, but nothing overtly rich about this wine, it is wide, detailed if essentially very primary today. Really super clarity…
2014 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Dents de Chien
A wine needs a little coaxing from the glass, but subtle, pretty notes, and a certain clarity are your reward. Here is a big wine, weighty, with a Chevalier-style flavour profile, mineral intense and with fine finishing character. Rather good!
Deep, wide, faintly spiced – and very inviting. Really great intensity, slightly wrapped with a softness of texture, but only slightly. Direct, intense flavour, slightly steely, massively impressive wine.
2014 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Les Pucelles
Very different aroma, high tones, with lime, – it’s also very faintly spiced. Wide, clarity, intensity, the house style it seems, growing concentration of flavour, and it holds a great line into the finish. Again very yum. Just a great set of wines here.
2014 Meursault 1er Perrières
Dessus de dessous! Négoce, 1st year.
A large-scaled mineral nose with a suggestion of lime fruit. Fills the glass more and more, with time it almost adds a texture to the aromas. I was almost worried that the mineral style of the domaine might make this almost too much – but not a bit of it – slowly fading. Yum.
2014 Corton-Charlemagne
A négoce wine, but a different supplier to 2013. Fruit from Pernand, ‘En Charlemagne.’
A deep aromatic, perhaps with a suggestion of reduction, certainly some herbs and a faint smoke. Bigger, mouth-filling, joyous acidity with intensity of flavour in tandem. Very long finishing again hinting at reduction, but it lasts and lasts.
2014 Bâtard-Montrachet
From the Chassagne side, close to the only tree in the vineyard!
Wide and very fine – its not a big powerful nose but it’s very involving – a little more like Blanchots Dessus. Big again, definitely mineral, certainly powerful, very slowly fading flavour. Not the most powerful of finishing flavour here, but slowly, slowly fading with quite some elegance.
Les rouges
2014 Bourgogne Pinot Noir
The same parcels as the white bourgogne.
Bright dark-red berry, which just gets deeper and deeper, yum. Super tasty, fresh, faintly sweet dark red fruit, followed by a modestly tannic texture. Super drinking already.
2014 Chassagne-Montrachet Vieilles-Vignes
The nose is a little more guarded, but the same deep fruit expression, this time with a more floral lift. Cool fruit, direct, interesting, with a great intensity of dark flavour in the mid-palate. Not a significantly high tannin content, but just a little finer textured. Dark and interesting in the finish. Very, very good.
2014 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Clos St.Jean.
The old original section, just Thibault and Domaine Paul Pillot are here.
A high fresh note but weighty fruit. Different, more airy dark red fruit. Wide, spicy, not so sweet but very complex and wide.
Part Farendes and Francemonts towards Santenay.
Tight but deep and silky. Cool, steely fruit. This really bursts into action from the mid-palate with a pretty and fine width of fruit flavour. Excellent.
A white to finish:
2010 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Caillerets
Gallete de rois aroma; a patisserie and almond but modestly and freshly so… Rather narrow entry, but grows plenty in the middle, slowly developing a clear lime note in the mid-palate. Holding a very good line. But really it’s a very subdued version of the 2014s today. Same wine carafe, more open in the mouth, more texture and weight – surprisingly different.