Two of the hallmarks of Burgundy are the minuscule size and the fractured distribution of the small domains that line the Cote d’Or. Centuries of division by inheritance and often family discord have fractured once-larger land holdings into microscopic parcels. Domains have become so small (and their fractured holding so atomic) that it is has become doubtful how these domains can continue to be passed down to the next generation. In the case of Domaine Sylvain Morey, this difficult tradition continues with the dissolution of Domaine Jean-Marc Morey. Jean-Marc’s son Sylvain and his sister Caroline split their father’s holdings in 2014, making this already small family domaine much smaller. (Domaine Jean-Marc Morey was founded in 1981 when Domaine Albert Morey was split between his two sons Jean-Marc and Bernard.) We feel fortunate to continue our relationship with these familiar family parcels, however small they may be, through the impressive and thoughtful work of Sylvain.
Sylvain has spent the last few decades establishing his own domaine, Bastide du Claux, located south of Burgundy in the Luberon. His experience working on his own project, combined with the deep knowledge he gained working with his father, has matured Sylvain into a thoughtful and confident vigneron. He is someone who respects the traditional manner in which his father worked but also brings his own sensibility to the table. He plans to split his time between Chassagne and Luberon working in the romantic mold-filled cellar in which his father has always worked. Upon his first releases in 2014, his mark on the wines are evident.
The wines have a bit more power than his father’s: they are more richly textured, while still retaining a firm mineral structure. As done before, fermentations for the whites and reds are done with natural yeasts; grapes are always de-stemmed; and the percentage of new wood is small (about 20%). Sylvain claims to be a bit more gentle in the cellar, and his tendency is to leave the wines alone, doing little to no batonage. He has also increased the aging of the whites to 18 months, rather than bottling after 12. These changes result in wines that are bit more resolved by the time they make it into bottle.
Sylvain is content with keeping his domaine small, currently working fewer than 3 hectares. Those of you who are familiar with the variety of wines Jean-Marc Morey produced might notice that Sylvain does not offer the same range. While he did split some particular parcels with his sister, they also divvied up a few whole parcels, since they were too small to split. Still, the bulk of Sylvain’s holdings are in Chassagne Montrachet, where he offers an impressive trio of whites: Chassagne Montrachet Blanc (.21 hectares from 2 parcels), Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru “Champs Gains” (.39 hectares) and Chassagne 1er Cru “Caillerets” (.34 hectares). In the reds, there are two Chassagne bottlings: Chassagne Montrachet Rouge (1/2 hectare from 2 parcels) and Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru “Champ Gains” (.16 hectares) and the always stunning Santeney 1er Cru “Grand Clos Rousseau” (.40 hectares).
Farming
Lutte Raisonnée
Treatments
Synthetic treatments only when necessary, no herbicides
Ploughing
Annual ploughing to maintain vineyard health
Soils
Limestone-clay
Vines
Trained in Guyot and Cordon de Royat and planted from 1950-2000 at 10,000 vines/ha. Average vine age is 50 years. All Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vines are from Selection Massale
Yields
Controlled through severe winter pruning and debudding, yields average 35-55 hl/ha
Harvest
Exclusively manual, usually late September
Sourcing
Entirely estate fruit
Fermentation
Red wines ferment spontaneously in stainless-steel tanks after 30-50% destemming and a 1-2 day cold soak. Cuvaison lasts 20-25 days. White wines ferment spontaneously in 350-l oak barrels
Extraction
White wines see bâtonnage only to counter reduction; red wines see daily pumpovers during cuvaison
Chaptalization
Chaptalization when necessary
Pressing
Pneumatic, whole-cluster direct pressing for white wines, pneumatic pressing for red wines
Malolactic Fermentation
Spontaneous, in barrel in spring
Élevage
Aligoté rests for 15 months in 350-l neutral oak barrels; other white wines rest for 16-18 months in 350-l oak barrels (20-25% new. Passetoutgrains ages for 19 months in 228-l neutral oak barrels; other red wines age 20 months in 228-l and 350-l oak barrels (20-35% new). All wines are racked once following alcoholic fermentation and rest in stainless-steel tanks for 2 months before bottling
lees
All wines rest on their fine lees until assemblage prior to bottling
Fining and Filtration
Casein fining, no filtration
sulfur
Applied at harvest, during élevage, and at bottling, 20-25 mg/l free. Bourgogne Passetoutgrain sees no added sulfur
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