2016 Pierre Yves Colin-Morey Rully Les Cailloux

Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey is a 13.5-acre domaine in Chassagne-Montrachet. Pierre-Yves is the eldest son of Marc Colin, who 40 years ago started the domaine that would become Marc Colin et Fils. Today Marc Colin et Fils is run by Marc’s two younger sons. Pierre-Yves was winemaker for Marc Colin et Fils from 1995 to 2005, but in 2006 Pierre-Yves struck out on his own with a small domaine and a micro-negociant business. He has expanded his properties since then and now his grapes are about 70% from his own parcels and 30% purchased. Colin-Morey produces about 6,000 cases a year and has Premier Cru and Grand Cru vineyards in Meursault, Chassagne-Montrachet and Puligny-Montrachet. Pierre-Yves makes mostly white wines, from Grand Crus to villages appellations. But it is his Premier Cru whites that have most impressed reviewers and collectors. Clive Coates notes that Pierre-Yves makes wine that “is pure, elegant and precise. He is a name to watch.”

Rully is an appellation and commune that takes its name from the Roman town called Rubilia Vicus. Of the 882 acres of vineyards in the appellation, almost two-thirds of the vineyards are planted to white wine grapes. Rully produces Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, but it is also known for its Champagne-style sparkling wines, known as Crémant de Bourgogne. Rully produced the first Crémant de Bourgogne in the late 19th century, well before any other region in Burgundy started making Champagne-style sparklers. Today the appellation produces nearly five million bottles of sparkling wine a year compared to two million bottles of still white wine. There are 23 Premier Cru vineyards in the Rully appellation, and no Grand Crus. Clive Coates has written that Rully’s white wines are “lemony-crisp and floral, ripe but lean rather than four-square.”

This white variety originated in Burgundy, but is now grown around the world. Its flexibility to thrive in many regions translates to wide flavor profile in the market. Chardonnay is commonly used in making Champagne and sparkling wines.