Burgundy Series #3: Puligny & Chassagne-Montrachet

Our Burgundy series is back! For the third instalment, join us as we deep dive into the twin benchmarks of Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet, two villages that define precision, power and pedigree in Chardonnay.

12 White Burgundies across 6 Domaines

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… Tiny quantities from the 2021, 2022 and 2023 Vintages…

2021 Vintage

“A season of seemingly endless challenges has yielded a tiny crop with some standout wines…The verdict on the whites has always been positive…Volumes, however, are painfully low.”
Adam Bruntlett

2022 Vintage

“2022 is an amazingly consistent vintage. I tasted almost no poor wines. Everything was good to very good, with occasional touches of greatness.”
Jasper Morris
“Burgundy's 2022 vintage delivered something vintners here haven’t seen since since 2017: cellars full of excellent Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.”
Bruce Sanderson, Wine Spectator

2023 Vintage

“Burgundy 2023 is the rarest of birds, offering both quality and quantity. For once, Burgundy experienced a straightforward growing season, producing a plentiful crop of ripe fruit. In both red and white, 2023 is a vintage of pure pleasure. These are wines where no single element dominates. Each component – alcohol, acidity, tannin, fruit – is in harmony.”
Adam Bruntlett

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Sunday, January 18th

Burgundy Series #3: Puligny & Chassagne-Montrachet

The Domaines in Context

White Burgundies you never heard of.” Philippe is a genuine, gifted and hardworking Puligny Montrachet vigneron and winemaker. In each instance his wines are amongst the finest available, and whilst not cheap, remain very good value for money given the quality.
This small six-hectare domaine located in the heart of Puligny-Montrachet is making rapid strides. Philippe Pernot (a scion of the Paul Pernot dynasty) launched the Pernot Belicard label in 2009, gradually selling less and less to the négociants. In the vineyards, he cultivates the soils, de-buds aggressively and takes pains to retain his old vines in good health. The grapes are harvested by hand, with Philippe typically among the earlier pickers in the village. Since 2014, there's more sorting, the grapes passing over a shaker table before being whole cluster pressed. Initially, the wines were bottled to make room for the new vintage, but Philippe, evidently an enquiring mind, felt that something was missing: now, the wines stay in barrel until August, but spend an additional three to six months in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks with the fine lees.
The result, he contends (and I concur), are wines that are more integrated and complete. These are already very good wines, and Philippe possesses some enviable parcels, but it is his desire to refine and improve that marks this out as an estate to watch.
William Kelley, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Based in Puligny-Montrachet, Domaine Philippe Chavy has been farming vines across the Côte de Beaune for nearly a century. The majority of the estate’s Puligny-based vines were planted by Philippe’s father during the 1950s, though the property’s oldest vines in Meursault date back to 1932.
Today, Domaine Philippe Chavy comprises a total of eight hectares of vines spread across 30 plots and 14 appellations, and are planted to Chardonnay, Aligoté, Pinot Noir, and Gamay.
Under Philippe’s oversight, all use of herbicides and insecticides has been eschewed at the domaine, so as to preserve the terroir and encourage natural biodiversity amongst the vines. All fruit is picked by hand and meticulously cared for during the entire growing cycle—in the words of Philippe, “no good wine can be made without sound grapes.”
In the cellar, fermentations take place in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks, as freshness and acidity are of utmost importance. All Chavy wines mature in oak barrels of various ages and undergo regular lees stirring prior to being bottled in conjunction with the lunar calendar.
Currently, Philippe has two full-time employees that help him in the vineyards and cellar year-round. His wife, Graziella, handles all aspects of sales and administration.
“I am fortunate enough to live and work in the heart of one of the most prestigious Chardonnay vineyards in the world,” says Philippe. “Each and every vine and the grapes they yield command respect. It is my daily task to enrich this inheritance just like my parents and grandparents when they started.”
Founded in the late 1970s by Michel Morey (son of the late Marc Morey) and wife Fabienne (from the Pillot clan). Their son, Thibault took over the helm of the estate in 2009. Thibault joins a long lineage of winemakers in Chassagne-Montrachet with great gravitas in their family names such as Pillot, Morey, and Coffinet. In 2014, he began to pursue biodynamic viticulture, gaining certification in 2015. A solid foundation of 1er Crus come from the southeast-facing hillside; the whites reflect the very essence of Chassagne with fragrant aromatics framed around powerful minerality, while the reds hone-in on terroirrevealing roasted, muscular aromas while displaying silky texture and balance.
domainemoreycoffinet.com
The vineyards that Thibaut Morey manages, located in some of the most hallowed spots in Burgundy, descend from the holdings of two important figures in the history of Chassagne-Montrachet: Marc Morey and Fernand Coffinet. The domaine that joins their names doesn’t just ride the coattails of a prestigious history however: Thibaut has taken steps to convert his vineyards to organic farming methods (certified organic as of 2018) and to carefully match the aging process to the particular character of the fruit. Certified organic.
Atlas Fine Wines
We discovered the wines of this Chassagne-Montrachet rising star (established in its current form “only” 30 years ago, although the family cellars date from the 16th century) for the first time in 2020, and although we were immediately impressed by the portfolio of great vineyards the Morey family cultivate, it was upon tasting the wines with Thibault Morey that we fell in love with them. The estate is run according to biodynamic principles throughout. Thibault is one of the new generation of winemakers who, through precise, rigorous work and an open mind not only to traditional and modern techniques but also to different expressions of the Burgundy terroirs, produce truly exciting wines. These are wines that combine richness and power with complexity and elegance effortlessly, and they come highly recommended.
With a superb intensity of citrus fruit dominating its core, this village cuvée shows particularly impressive balance and body: round, rich, long and a gorgeously seductive fruit profile that finishes very cleanly and in great freshness.
Mr Wheeler Fine Wines UK
Established in 1720 in Meursault, Domaine Jean
Monnier is one of Burgundy’s oldest domaines.

Nicolas Monnier is a 16th-generation winemaker.

The domaine comprises 17 hectares - with parcels
in Meursault, Puligny Montrachet, Volnay,
Pommard and Beaune.

The vine age largely ranges from 25 to 60 years.

Interestingly, Domaine Jean Monnier is one of
the few producers in Meursault to produce
equal amounts of white and red wine.

The Wine List

2022 Pernot-Bélicard Bourgogne Cote d’Or blanc Chardonnay
Subtle creamy minerality in this wine. It has more depth than you’d expect from the appellation, which simply shows the talent of the producer. There’s a case in my cellar, which is probably more meaningful as a recommendation than 93 points. There is also a case of the 2020 beside it.
93 points, Michael Apstein, Wine Review Online
2022 Philippe Chavy Bourgogne Chardonnay
Clear pale colour, fresh apples on the nose, this is characterful and drier than some producers would make, but there is impressive purity and intensity on the palate. This has excellent potential. Fine length. Drink from 2024-2027. Tasted Oct 2023.
Jasper Morris, Inside Burgundy

First Course

2021 Morey-Coffinet Chassagne-Montrachet Les Houilleres
Made from one old vine section and one recent planting. Not bottled and showing the barrel a little bit much at the moment, along with some reduction. There is a greater wealth of fruit here, fresh plum with a touch of citrus, and a little more flesh at the back, with the oak now completely tamed. Drink from 2024-2028. Tasted Oct 2022.
91 Points - Jasper Morris, Inside Burgundy
2023 Lamy-Pillot Chassagne-Montrachet ‘Pos Bois’
Grapes from less vigorous plants, situated on the limestone upper hillside. Very pale, stones in whitewash on the nose. Classy and classical, with an extra kick of fresh white fruit and lemon acidity at the finish. Persistent, more my style of wine. More nuanced at the finish. Drink from 2027-2031. Tasted Oct 2024.
91 Points - Jasper Morris, Inside Burgundy
2021 Jean Monnier Puligny-Montrachet
Bronze Medal - Decanter World Wine Awards 2022
Zippy citrus and flinty aromas with a chalky mineral acidity and a soft, lanolin texture.
Judges Notes
2022 Jean Monnier Puligny-Montrachet
An elegant, full-bodied white that exudes toasted hazelnuts, apricots, salted butter and mango stones on the nose. Delicious combination of stone fruit with salt and caramel undertones and a buttery texture, persisting on the tasty finish. Drink now.
92 Points - James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com

Second Course

2022 Philippe Chavy Puligny-Montrachet 'Rue Rousseau'
Pale colour, minor evolution. This has just a little more fruit than the Corvée des Vignes with just as many nuances. This also has excellent promise. Juicy and racy. Hard to choose between two excellent wines. Drink from 2027-2032. Tasted Oct 2023.
91 - 93 Points - Jasper Morris, Inside Burgundy
2022 Philippe Chavy Puligny-Montrachet 'Corvées des Vignes'
Clear pale colour with apples on the nose, but soon shows evolution. Even so you can pick the nuances on the palate. I suggested that we should try it again from a fresh sample, which was indeed paler in colour and fresher in bouquet with a light rubbery reduction. Floral notes, with plenty of energy, this is a really pretty Puligny. Lovely aftertaste. Drink from 2027-2032. Tasted Oct 2023.
91 - 93 Points - Jasper Morris, Inside Burgundy
2022 Chapelle de Blagny Puligny-Montrachet 1er cru ‘Hameau de Blagny’
Aromatically, I’m all in. Chamomile flowers, pulverised rocks, yellow apples, freshly scooped butter, and blanched almonds. Pleasant phenolic bitterness, superb concentration, length and drive, with a rivulet of minerality moving through. From old vines of 55 years of age, only old oak usage. Cleverly done.
95 Points - Lisa Cardelli, Wine Pilot

Third Course

2021 Morey-Coffinet Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru 'La Romanee'
5 barrels made from one hectare. Another very pale colour. La Romanée delivers both the most tension and the most flesh on the nose. Still in the fresh white fruit vein. This shows its class on the palate but never fills out in explosive style. Builds slowly on the palate, ripe lemons to finish. Drink from 2026-2030. Tasted Oct 2022.
92 - 95 Points - Jasper Morris, Inside Burgundy
2022 Philippe Chavy Puligny-Montrachet 1er cru 'Folatières'
A fuller yellow. Here there is a major density of fruit but perhaps a little less detail in the relief compared to Charmes. Fresher behind, with enough of a chiselled character. Lime at the back, there is interesting character in the 2022 Folatières. Drink from 2028-2035. Tasted Oct 2023.
91 - 94 Points - Jasper Morris, Inside Burgundy
2022 Philippe Chavy Puligny-Montrachet 1er cru 'Les Pucelles'
A little oxidation on the nose, so I asked for a new sample so as to see the finesse. Fresh clear pale lemon. And a much cleaner bouquet. This extends very nicely across the palate with some energy and a sense of class. Little white and yellow fruits, balanced and with charm. Drink from 2029-2036. Tasted Oct 2023.
92 - 95 Points - Jasper Morris, Inside Burgundy

Fourth Course

Burgundy Series #3: Puligny & Chassagne-Montrachet