2020 Vincent & Sophie Morey Chassagne-Montrachet Les Embrazées

Vincent & Sophie Morey founded their domaine Chassagne-Montrachet in 2006, and had their first harvest in 2007. Both come from many generations of Burgundian winemakers. Vincent’s father is the highly esteemed Bernard Morey. The 50-acre domain The domaine’s signature wines are its Grand and Premier Cru whites, including Batard Montrachet Grand Cru. The reds include several Santenay Premier Crus. Wine Advocate has rated the domaine’s wines highly in the past. A recent review of the 2010 Batard Montrachet called it “dazzling…with intense, mineral notes that frame the intense fruit, showing exquisite balance in a big, full-bodied style.”

Chassagne-Montrachet is the appellation that covers the communes of Chassagne-Montrachet and Remigny, and it is the southern-most of the Côte d’Or’s three great white wine appellations of Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet. With 1,200 acres of vineyards, it is one of the largest appellations in the region, and more than half the vineyard acreage is Grand Cru or Premier Cru. The three famous Grand Crus are Le Montrachet, Bâtard-Montrachet and Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet. There are also 16 main Premiers Crus, most of them considered very high quality, and village wines. One fact rarely noted is that historically the appellation produced more red than white wine. In the late 1990s the ratio of white to red wines changed, however, as more vineyards were converted from Pinot Noir to Chardonnay, a logical decision given the acclaim of the appellation’s whites. There are still intriguing red wines produced. Clive Coates wrote that the appellation’s white wines generally are “full and firm, more akin to Puligny than to the softer, rounder wines of Meursault.”

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.