Tasted in Chassagne-Montrachet, 04 November 2015, with Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey.
SARL Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey
Chemin du Puits Merdreaux
ZA Le Haut des Champs
21190 Chassagne-Montrachet
Tel: +33 3 80 21 90 10
Of-course, in the end I was late. I’d noted the attachment to the email for my appointment, but I’d also assumed it to be a ‘courtesty attachment’ rather than something important. I rolled up to the gate with Swiss timing, I then realised the name on the gate wasn’t the same. Oups! Now I was going to have to make a call – firstly to apologise!
The new winery and offices for ‘PYCM’ are on the very mini commercial estate at the edge of Chassagne, near those of Jean-Marc Pillot and Philippe Morey. There’s a sense of detachment from Chassagne and I immediately though ‘such a shame’ until I saw the view from the upstairs tasting room – here is a beautiful view over, first, Bourgogne vines and, then, villages vines to the village of Chassagne. It’s actually a lovely situation, not that you would realise it from the road.
Pierre-Yves on the domaine’s new home: “This new location had been a project since 2009, as it was hard to leave the centre of Chassagne, but here was the chance to make a real cellar with natural temperature and humidity. The first reception of grapes here was in 2015. The 2014s were pressed in Chassagne and the barrels moved here in the summer. It’s a more flexible space, as there’s room for two vintages side-by-side. Almost all in 350 l barrels.”
Pierre-Yves on 2015:
“2015 was magnifique. Perfectly clean fruit. We started the 1st September and harvested for about 9 days. Of-course there nothing to chaptalise, but our highest was 13.3°. The acidities may not be the highest but it’s not an acidity of heat, it’s a clean acidity. I think there’s very good balance and I’ve a lot of confidence in them. Really the combination of the harvest and the grapes – it was the ‘bonheur’. I was pleasantly surprised by the quantity as it was a dry year, yet we achieved 40-45 hl/ha.
“For me it’s not about minerality or acidity in isolation, I want focus but I don’t want heavy. But in ten years I won’t mind to say ‘perhaps its not my style’ but I will mind if the wines don’t represent the vintage.”
Pierre-Yves on 2014:
“10 years ago I cut grapes based on acidity, now I do it based on balance. It was seemingly an easy year after those hard 2012 and 2013 seasons; easy to work, that is. Harvest started 11 September, with maturity that was 12-13° natural. 2014 and 2015 were particularly clean vintages. Previous to this new cuverie I was obliged to bottle the St.Aubins before the harvest, but now it’s possible to add a couple of months to their elevage so those wines are not now filtered, like before. The Chassagnes et-cetera, will be bottled sometime after the winter.”
The wines…
The Saint Aubins were all bottled samples, the rest came from (those 350 litre) barrels. A great range, you could easily pick blind – or (more realistically) simply accept your allocation!
2014 St.Aubin Le Bon
A blend of multiple parcels, but all from this same villages lieu-dit, with 3 generations of vines. In totality, this is the largest parcel of the domain at over 1 hectare. In bottle for about 3 weeks.
Fresh, almost meaty nose. Supple, slightly plush. Intense and mineral in the middle. A lovely width of slightly salty flavour.
First harvest in 2013 from 40 year-old vines that came from PYCM’s aunt.
Deep with a lime/ lemon fruit – lovely. More lush, finer, fresher balanced. A gorgeous mid-palate – this will honestly do for me. Slowly, faintly, sweetly mouth-watering…
2013 St.Aubin 1er Les Perrières
Also a new appellation chez PY in 2013. From just over 0.4 hectares which also came from his aunt. It was a mix of pinot (0.17ha) and chardonnay (0.26ha), but PY relates that the pinot wasn’t in great shape, so he’s pulled them out and will let the ground rest for 2-3 years before replanting with chardonnay.
A tighter nose, faint citrus and salt. Lush again, a little more weight than the Pucelles. Direct, good but not too overt intensity. Lovely citrus finish.
2014 St.Aubin 1er Les Combes
A fresh nose, greener notes. Nice texture, and width. More complex and a little more mineral without direct intensity. It washes over the palate – tasty!
Here is a rather tight nose. Faint top notes of herbs but barely so. More lithe, more fluid, cool fruit, complexity and then a super width of flavour. Really. Excellent.
2014 St.Aubin 1er Chatonnière
A little warmth on the tight nose. Lush, inviting – no, rewarding! With a weight rather than a width of flavour. Tight finishing but lovely wine.
2014 St.Aubin 1er En Remilly
Again a very modest nose with faint mineral references. Beautiful in the mouth, faintly padded silky texture starting with discretion before a lovely mouth-watering finish. Excellent!
2014 Chassagne-Montrachet Les Encegnières
A deeper nose. A little more energy, less fine texture than Remilly, an agrume flavour in the mid-palate that becomes joyously intense – super.
2014 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Les Chenevottes
A silky high-toned nose with a fine citrus top-line. Fills the mouth more but not with fat, rather with considered energy and a very nice complexity. Super finishing flavour, discreetly long and mouth-watering. Excellent.
2014 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Abbaye de Morgeott
A parcel bought in 2013, 2014 is the first vintage from these 50-year-old vines. High part of the vineyard.
A subtle almost floral nose. Lithe, mineral, flowing over the palate – lovely, really. More airy, really lovely wine.
2014 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Les Baudines
Not many producers of Baudines, more from the higher vines with less deep soil versus the Morgeot.
Quite some depth here, a little toasted bread. Bigger more overt after the l’Abbaye. There’s energy and interest but overall I’m enjoying this less than the Abbaye; a little toasty bread here too. But it seems very long finishing.
Parcel from parents towards the top. ‘It’s my reference for all the other wines, never high alcohol, never low. The 79 was at least as good as my dad’s Montrachet that year.’
More width and plenty of aromatic depth. An almost silky herb note. Really wide, incisive but not aggressive. Super purity of acidity and intense flavour, finishing in a more stony way.
2014 Puligny-Montrachet 1er La Garenne
Another new wine from 2013, from PY’s aunt. 85 year-old vines that delivered 3×350 litres
A warmer nose, very faintly spiced. There is weight and some weight of texture too – plenty of padding, yet there is plenty of buffering acidity too. Certainly a little more contemplative – but the finish is exceptional – really!
From the top, touching Perrières.
A wide, riper clear fruit nose – gellied fruit – really inviting. Hmm, this is lovely with ginger spice, a little padding, mouth-filling with a perfect, acidity for contemplation – bravo!
2014 Meursault 1er Genevrières
Pretty, fresh Meursault nose – indeed achingly pretty. Perhaps more implied weight, a hint more mineral flavour and width. I find this less easy to taste after the Charmes but it’s really a beauty.
PY’s Perrières is from the lower part of the vineyard, his Genevrières from the higher part – they have virtually the same position (height) on the Meursault hillside.
Higher toned a little airy but with a fine bass too. Here is more energy and minerality, but wrapped with a faintly soft sweetness, achingly beautiful finish – super long, a bravo finish with faint ginger.
2014 Corton-Charlemagne
A blend of Pernand and Aloxe – last year it was pure Aloxe due to the Pernand hail.
A pretty, delicate and precise top line, the depth is tight. Large in the mouth, growing flavour intensity and it has more of an implied weight than overt concentration. Beautiful texture which extrudes into a long line of finishing flavour – very long. Excellent.
Chassagne side, one parcel. An old parcel of 70 year-old vines.
A subtle but airy nose, there’s a weight below but it’s more implied. Very wide, nice dimension of complexity here, not a fat wine, rather a wine of overt complexity. Opens even wider in the finish with waves of flavour – wow – it starts with a whisper but be prepared for the ride…
From the middle of Chevalier, from both the height and width of the vineyard.
A wow nose. This has weight, and intensity, but like the rest here, nothing aggressive. It is the slow increase of intensity and flavour that hooks you. This is the only wine that I would say has barrel references, but it’s just another part of the complexity. Really special!
There is one response to “Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey – 2014”
great call on the St Aubin’s Bill, they are universally delightful. The Pucelles is superb.