Readers will find a vibrant, tightly coiled wine in the 2010 Chassagne-Montrachet Abbaye de Morgeots. Lemon, lime, pears, crushed rocks and white flowers abound in this gracious, highly nuanced Burgundy. The Abbaye de Morgeot stays vibrant, cool and focused through to the finish. Ideally, it is best left alone for another year or two, if not longer. Saline notes reappear to frame the chiseled, pointed finish. I very much like the sense of energy here. At the same time, I must add that perhaps because of the picking date, this is Abbaye de Morgeots that emphasizes brightness rather than the weight and richness that is more typical of this site. Anticipated maturity: 2014+.
Benjamin Leroux is probably best known to readers for his superb work at Comte Armand, but the wines Leroux crafts under his own micro-negociant label are equally worthy of attention. Readers may also want to check out my video interview with Leroux on our website for more on his views on current vintages. In addition to the wines listed here, I also tasted just about all the 2011 whites. Those wines are shaping up beautifully and in some cases will rival or perhaps even surpass the 2010s for their balance. If the 2010s have a weakness here, it is that they are at times a bit on the heavy side.
A Becky Wasserman Selection, Le Serbet, various American importers, including: Fine Vines, IL; tel. (708) 343-6702, Cavatappi, Washington; tel. (206) 282-5226, Veritas Imports, CA; tel. (310) 205-3800, Verity Wine Partners, New York, NY; tel. (212) 683-8763