Chassagne-Montrachet Vielles Vignes Rouge AOC 2024

A slender, elegantly built Pinot Noir from the village of Chassagne-Montrachet: fragrant on the nose, austere and fresh on the palate, with a tannin that provides backbone. Dry, 13.5% Vol.

Around 40% of Chassagne-Montrachet's vineyard area is planted with Pinot Noir. The grapes come from three parcels near the village, Bottes, Clos Bernot and Dessus des Murs, planted in 1933, 1960 and 1969. The more recent site has predominantly brown, clay soils, while the other two lie on a ridge and are sandier and more permeable. The yield of these old vines rarely reaches 45 hl per hectare.

Pure Pinot Noir. The largely destemmed grapes ferment with indigenous yeasts in a combination of neutral barrel and tank, with malolactic fermentation occurring spontaneously. The proportion of new oak is around 20%. Sulphur is added only during the final six months in barrel, in several minimal doses, so that the wine never exceeds 35 mg/l in total.

The nose remains fragrant, floral and subtly red-fruited: cherry, redcurrant and raspberry, together with fine wood and subtly sweet spice. On the palate, the wine shows more firmness and density than its colour and aroma suggest. The fruit turns more austere, the spice shifts from sweet notes to herbs and a certain earthiness, with tannin providing the framework. Still young, firmly knit, fresh.

Thomas Morey, 10th generation of a family resident in Chassagne-Montrachet since 1643, has run 13 hectares across seven villages of the Côte de Beaune together with Sylvie Morey since 2007, including six Premier Crus in Chassagne-Montrachet and the Grand Cru Bâtard-Montrachet. The Domaine de la Romanée-Conti entrusted him with tending its vines in the Le Montrachet Grand Cru. The conversion to organic farming began in 2011.