Sylvain Morey
Wines
Chassagne-Montrachet
Bourgogne Aligoté
Sylvain owns a mere quarter-hectare of Aligoté, planted in 1997, in a vineyard called “Les Pierres”whose upper section is classified as Chassagne-Montrachet Villages. Round but tense, this spends 12 months in used 350-liter barrels, resting on its fine lees with no batonnage. Aligoté reaches a different textural register when given a proper élevage, and indeed Sylvain’s is of a piece with his remarkable Chassagne-Montrachet bottlings in that regard. Only 20 cases imported!
Saint-Aubin Blanc 1er Cru, “Les Charmois”
East-facing Les Charmois is an interestingly situated premier cru within Saint-Aubin, lying on a continuation of the main swath of Chassagne-Montrachet adjacent to premier cru Les Chaumées. Sylvain inherited his scant third of a hectare of Les Charmois from his father Jean-Marc, and the vines here—planted in 1990 in extremely stony and poor soils—yield a wine that combines the chiseled vivacity of Saint-Aubin with some of the richness and gravitas of Chassagne-Montrachet. Sylvain employs 350-liter casks, 20% of which are new, in the 16-month élevage, keeping the wine on its fine lees the entire time and never utilizing batonnage. 15 cases imported.
Chassagne-Montrachet Blanc
Sylvain’s villages-level Chassagne-Montrachet Blanc comes primarily from a half-hectare in La Bergerie (planted between 1958 and 1974), complemented by smaller holdings in nearby Les Perclos and the villages-classified portion of Les Pierres (both planted in the mid-1990s). La Bergerie’s mix of clay and pebbles manifests in the wine’s deft balancing of richness and minerality, and Sylvain’s restrained sulfur regimen and preference for no lees-stirring create a wine of wide-open expressiveness and stunning clarity of fruit. The 20% new wood is all but invisible—in part a positive effect of Sylvain’s preference for larger-than-standard 350-liter vessels. 60 cases imported.
Chassagne-Montrachet Blanc 1er Cru, “Champs-Gains”
Sylvain’s 0.39 parcel of Chardonnay in the renowned premier cru Champs-Gains was planted back in 1952 by his grandfather Albert, and he employs an 18-month élevage in one-quarter-new 350-liter barrels, bottling it without filtration. Here, the generosity of the above villages-level wine is deemphasized in favor of gunflint and smoke; this borderline-stern minerality works in tandem with the texturally luscious fruit profile to create something of striking complexity and kinetic energy, buttressed by a lurking sense of power. The old vines express themselves in the wine’s persistent, blossoming finish. 25 cases imported.
Chassagne-Montrachet Blanc 1er Cru, “En Caillerets”
Sylvain works 0.38 hectares of very old selection-massale Chardonnay planted in 1950 by his grandfather Albert in this prestigious climat on the slopes just above and south of the village. Known for its poor and stony soil, Caillerets produces a wine with profound minerality and finesse that always benefits from at least a few years in the cellar to express its true potential. The wine is raised in 25% new barrels for 18-months. Its tunneling, palate-commanding minerality veers into the realm of salt, leaving a dry impression on the finish and promising plenty of cellar upside. Even amidst such dominating mineral presence, however, a glimmer of pretty fruit peeks out—a Sylvain signature. A mere 20-25 cases for the US market.
Bourgogne-Passetoutgrain
Sylvain’s minuscule-production Passetoutgrain fits neatly into three barrels: two of Pinot Noir, and one of Gamay, from vines planted in the mid-1990s. Assembled and bottled after 12 months of élevage, this offers a complexity rarely seen in such a humble appellation, a fact aided by its thoughtful and relatively lengthy aging. With its bright, soaring aromas, its evocative red fruits, and its high-tension but supple mouthfeel, this remarkable Passetoutgrain is of a piece with Syvain's nobler reds. 75 cases imported.
Chassagne-Montrachet Rouge
Sylvain’s wines demonstrate with resounding force the greatness of Chassagne-Montrachet as a red-wine terroir. This breathtaking villages-level rouge comprises old selection-massale Pinot Noir from La Bressonne (0.5-ha planted in 1956), Les Lombardes, (0.25-ha. in 1967), and Les Chambres (0.2-ha. from 1974). Sylvain retains 30% whole clusters for the vinification, which lasts 3 weeks; he employs pump-overs rather than punch-downs, preferring a thorough, slow, gentle extraction that preserves lift. Chassagne’s unabashed soil-driven nature shines through clearly but elegantly in this wine; one would have to spend much more in the Côte de Nuits to find something even approaching it! 75 cases imported.
Chassagne-Montrachet Rouge 1er Cru, “Champs-Gains”
Sylvain Morey farms the last existing plot of Pinot Noir in the premier cru Champs-Gains, a tiny 0.16-hectare parcel planted in the early 1950s by his grandfather Albert. To taste his white and red Champs-Gains side-by-side is to experience the mystery of Burgundy with uncanny clarity: both are deeper in register than their villages counterparts, and both display a telltale flint character that shows itself on the nose and continues through the smoke-tinged finish. Vinified with 50% whole clusters and aged 18 months in one-third new oak—both 228-liter and 350-liter barrels—it offers an elegant iteration of this vineyard’s sometimes brooding nature. It is quite dense with chewy fresh cherry fruit, lively acidity, and a firm tannic backbone. 10-20 cases imported.
Santenay Rouge 1er Cru, “Grand Clos Rousseau”
Sylvain was most excited to inherit this full 0.40-hectare holding from his father. Planted in 1993, the Grand Clos Rousseau was always the top red wine from Jean-Marc Morey and always the most impressive old wine from his cellar. Intensely aromatic, with rich red fruits, savory earthy tones and sweet tannins, this over-achiever often stands up to the best reds of the Côte de Beaune. Roughly 30 cases a year are available for the US market.