From vines that range from young to very old, the Moreys’ 2007 Chassagne-Montrachet Caillerets smells of very ripe pear and peach with caramel, resin; comes to the palate broad and rich, and soothingly, slowly dies away with subtle suggestions of caramelized peach, nut oils, and honey. Don’t look to this wine for refreshment, but it displays a seamlessness in which most of its stable mates – at least for now – are wanting. I would not call this notably vintage- or site-typical, although there is a sense of energy and chalkiness buried within. This strikes me as being best enjoyed over the next 3-4 years.
After inheriting his share of his father, Bernard Morey’s domaine (split with his brother Thomas, on whose wines I have reported separately in this issue), Vincent Morey and his wife Sophie (whose family are wine growers in Santenay) have now combined acreage and produced their first wines out of the Morey family facilities. They began harvesting Chardonnay already at the end of August, achieving potential alcohols that varied by as much as 1.5% over their five days of harvest, and chaptalizing up to a degree to arrive at 13-13.5%. He performed a light clarification and stirred the lees regularly to fatten-up the wines. As a group, this year’s collection was a bit obviously – at times obtrusively – marked by its oak (typically around 30-40% new), and richness seemed sometimes to have been bought at the price of refreshment, clarity, or site-distinctiveness. Like his brother, Vincent Morey reports that he is too short of cellar space to consider a barrel elevage that lasts longer the one year, but he supports the trend toward a longer, watchful stay in tank before the assembled wines are bottled.
Importer: Louis/Dressner Selections, New York, NY; tel. (212) 334 8191 and also imported by Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL; tel. (205) 980-8802