2023 Burgundy: The Chassagne-Montrachet of Domaine Morey-Coffinet
2023 Burgundy: The Chassagne-Montrachet of Domaine Morey-Coffinet
The Morey-Coffinet style is for relatively fine-boned white wines. Jasper Morris MW, insideburgundy.com, December 2024
There is a lot of noise at this time of year, when the new Burgundy releases come onto the market. It can be hard to pick your way through the numerous offers. At Atlas, we focus on a tight group of domaines that have impressed, and continue to impress, us with the quality of their wines and the value they offer.
Historically, we have felt obliged to drop estates whose prices have shot up out of kilter with reality, or where quality has proved to be less than consistent. It is our aim to ensure the Burgundian domaines that we represent deliver quality and value for our clients.
Domaine Morey-Coffinet may not be a familiar name to many, but the following is growing and rightly so. We have been increasingly impressed by Thibault Morey's wines over the last four or five years; he is one grower who has adapted his viticultural and winemaking approaches to retain elegance and poise in his wines in the face of more challenging conditions in modern day Burgundy. We predict a bright future for this Chassagne-Montrachet domaine and would encourage our clients to benefit from buying these wines as soon as possible, before demand starts to influence price.
Thibault Morey is possessed of a calmness and serenity that seem to infuse his beautiful range of Chassagne-Montrachet, which show such a strong sense of harmony and a pristine purity. As Jasper Morris writes above, these are fine-boned white wines. I would agree. There is something magically refined and elegant about the Morey-Coffinet wines, an ability to retain a purity and precision that flies in the face of the warmer vintages we are seeing. In his crypt-like cellars, I tasted a 2019 and a 2017 En Caillerets; both warm vintages, both wines that showed near piercing purity and mineral energy, with all of that already-mentioned harmony.
Domaine Morey-Coffinet was established in 1980 by Thibault's father Michel, who was married to Fabienne Coffinet. She herself was from the combined winemaking families of Cecile Pillot and Fernand Coffinet. Some combined heritage then!
The estate now covers 9 hectares almost exclusively within Chassagne-Montrachet itself. Under Thibault, viticulture has become increasingly respectful and sensitive, with organic certification granted in 2018 and biodynamic principles espoused since 2015. Much of the ploughing is done by horse - or by electric tractor. Sheep roam the vineyards after harvest in the autumn.
In terms of wine-making, the fruit undergoes a long, slow pressing with minimal sulphur use before fermentation and ageing in generally larger oak vessels and in amphorae. Everything is done to maintain fruit purity, to maximise vineyard expression and to retain elegance and tension.
The reds too should not be underestimated. Les Chaumes comes from two parcels of 50 year old vines while the Clos Saint Jean is from a 0.2 hectare plot behind the family home at the top of the village. The latter was originally an orchard but was planted with Pinot Noir in the 1970s. In the words of Jasper Morris: Great choice! The fruit is attractively pure with a sensual finesse and unobtrusive tannins.
Morey-Coffinet continues to impress with its crystalline whites and its flowing, beautifully balanced reds all of which express their vineyards with an effortless grace.
Behind that calmness and serenity there is unmistakeable passion and an obsessive drive to produce wines that reflect and communicate a land respected. These are exceptional wines and continue to offer exceptional value for Burgundy of this quality.
Domaine Morey-Coffinet, Chassagne-Montrachet Rouge, Les Chaumes 2023 £180 per 6 bottle case in bond Scented pure red fruit. Aromatic. Healthy. Mineral palate – focused, tensile. Good red fruit and white stone finish. Fresh and finessed with good vibrancy and energy. A value pick. (ROM) Drink 2027-2035 Domaine Morey-Coffinet, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Rouge, Clos St Jean 2023 £300 per 6 bottle case in bond Elegant cherry fruit nose. Really pure. Mouthwatering palate with a clean mineral presence. Structured elegance. Soft-skinned fruit quality on late palate – cushioned, layered, silky – yet still with a stony grip on the finish. Very good. (ROM) Drink 2027-2035
Domaine Morey-Coffinet, Chassagne-Montrachet 2023 £245 per 6 bottle case in bond Lovely ripe, white stone fruit and citrus notes. This is all about harmony and drinkability but with tension and direction. Excellent, as we have come to expect from Thibault Morey. Tremendous freshness and energy at the end. (ROM) Drink 2026-2032 Domaine Morey-Coffinet, Chassagne-Montrachet, Les Houillères 2023 £300 per 6 bottle case in bond The nose seems to promise a certain mineral tension. Ripe, fresh citrus and peach notes are supported by a subtle creamy touch also. The palate is fruit-filled and mouth-watering with an appealing grip towards the end. Gentle but persistent mineral length, as promised. Showing the quality derived of 60 to 70-year-old vines. (ROM) Drink 2026-2032 Domaine Morey-Coffinet, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru, En Cailleret 2023 £390 per 6 bottle case in bond Tight and closed. Creamy peach and pear notes emerge. Soft, ripe, fresh orchard fruit. Pure fruit and energy. The palate shows a touch of citrus as well as the same soft white stone fruit notes. Lovely tension at the end but with a richness of juicy fruit and a pithy grip. On the long finish there is poise and restraint allied to a focused purity. (ROM) Drink 2027-2035 Domaine Morey-Coffinet, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru, La Romanée 2023 £435 per 6 bottle case in bond From a single parcel just below the forests at the top of the hill above Chassagne and vines planted in 1957. Currently more expressive on the nose than the Cailleret. Yellow citrus and peach. Subtlety and dynamism. The palate is taut and tensile through the middle. Very fine and focussed. Great persistence with a touch of promising youthful austerity. (ROM) Drink 2027-2035 Domaine Morey-Coffinet, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru, Les Pucelles 2023 £660 per 6 bottle case in bond Very pure, very classic white flower aromatics together with yellow and green citrus. Lovely sense of tension beneath the ripe, fresh fruit. Beautifully focused and linear in a very positive sense. Excellent energy with mineral presence emerging towards the end. Great persistence and energy, typical of this leading premier cru that adjoins Batard-Montrachet. (ROM) Drink 2028-2038 SOLD OUT
Domaine Morey-Coffinet, Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru 2023 £990 per 3 bottle case in bond (very limited availability) Gentle toast notes. Creamy fruit but quite withdrawn at the moment on the nose. The palate is tight and focused with the fruit fanning out on the mid-palate with the finish showing all the quality of a Grand Cru with astonishing persistence. (ROM) Drink 2028-2038 Another very fine set of wines from Thibault Morey and Domaine Morey-Coffinet.
Looking forward to hearing from you at richard.omahony@atlasfinewines.com
Sublime and ridiculous: De Sousa, Cuvée des Caudalies NV
Sublime and ridiculous: Champagne De Sousa, Cuvée des Caudalies NVThere are excellent wines to be found at this address, in particular the Caudelie range produced from domaine fruit... and they deserve to be better known among Anglophone wine lovers.William Kelley, robertparker.com, August 2022De Sousa, Cuvée des Caudalies, Blanc de Blancs, Grand Cru, Extra Brut NV (Disgorged 2023)£330 per 6 bottle case in bond
De Sousa, a Champagne House seemingly incapable of making anything other than spellbinding champagne.It is some time since we offered De Sousa’s non-vintage Cuvée des Caudalies but we are absolutely delighted to be able to do so again now. This is a cuvée that in so many ways embodies the essence of De Sousa. As an Avize-based family, this is 100% Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs Grand Cru vineyards of Avize, Mesnil and Cramant. The vines are old, in this case more than 60 years old. Farming, as with all of the family’s vineyards, is biodynamic. The wines are fermented and aged in oak barrels for added subtlety and complexity. The care for and commitment to their land, their vines, the wider environment is evident in everything they do and was recognised recently in a Slow Food award for sustainability. This is not a family looking to use the Grand Cru status as a marketing tool on their label but instead a family committed to continuously elevating quality in Grand Cru vineyards, ensuring that they are worthy of their status and, through their farming methods, that they will continue to be so. The De Sousas own vines on land that can yield greatness and greatness is what they aim to yield from it. They seem to be succeeding admirably.We should no longer be amazed at the sheer purity of the fruit that is unwaveringly expressed in these magnificent wines yet we are. Each time we taste and retaste, we marvel. Much of the marvelling is also because the prices of the De Sousa wines remains so ridiculously reasonable.The Cuvée des Caudalies is, as already mentioned, 100% Grand Cru fruit from some of the greatest Chardonnay villages of the Cote des Blancs. The first fermentation is 100% in oak barrels of which 8% are new. The resultant base wine is then blended in a 50:50 ratio with “reserve perpétuelle” wines from a reserve that was started in 1995 and which thus brings an astonishing complexity to a this non-vintage cuvée. This is a champagne of incredible focus and finesse, a champagne of subtle power and overarching poise. It is a champagne of sublime quality and ridiculous price. Champagne De Sousa, Cuvée des Caudalies, Blanc de Blancs, Grand Cru, Extra Brut NV (Disgorged 2023)£330 per 6 bottle case in bondA model of purity, the nose displays a citrus precision together with deeper fruit notes of apricot and cooked pineapple. There is a sublimely subtle creamy touch, buttered toast, delicate nutty notes too. Such complexity and finesse. The palate is luxuriant yet vibrant, the mousse caressing but underpinned by a clean, fresh citrus energy. The combination of depth and presence with lightness of touch and elegance is hugely appealing. This is so long, so fresh, so finessed. Spellbinding. Drink 2025-2033 (ROM)
BUY DE SOUSA CAUDALIES NV
Top tips and conclusions from the Atlas Big Barolo Bash
After our Big Barolo Bash held at Salisbury House, EC2M, on Wednesday 4th December 2024, I thought I would share a few thoughts as it is not often that you get the chance to compare 42 different Barolo spanning vintage 2011 to 2019.The wines shown were grouped by vintage rather than by grower. The aim was to encourage an understanding of vintage characteristics. We also felt this would spare clients the significant challenge of moving from a softer, lighter vintage to a richer, more tannic one and then back again in a repeated cycle through all producers. Deciding on a tasting order is never easy, even more so with a variety like Nebbiolo, known for its bright acidity and structural tannins. Our buyer, Seb Agnello, manned the 2018 and 2019 table. These two vintages show distinctly different styles. 2018 was a more mixed vintage, still with some notable successes. It is a lighter expression of the Nebbiolo variety, but by no means a poor vintage. It has always been our view that it was a misunderstood vintage; wines from this year have shown appreciably better after a little time in bottle, having been difficult to read when very young. From the wines shown, the Barolo Prapo from Ettore Germano impressed clients with its cherry red fruit – for a Barolo from Serralunga d’Alba, a commune known for richness and power, this is an incredibly pretty example, vintage in, vintage out. Chiara Boschis’ blended Barolo, Via Nuova, drawn from various crus from the across the region, received plenty of praise from clients, too. Perhaps the wine that impressed most from this selection was Vietti’s Cerequio 2018, which showed blue fruit touches, a fine freshness and those slightly rounder tannins that are common to La Morra. The 2019s were a last-minute addition and were the two single vineyard wines of Andrea Bosco which offered an opportunity to compare a Barolo from the lighter soils of Verduno with a richer wine from La Morra; respectively, the wonderfully refined Agostino Bosco, Barolo, Neirane and the darker, brooding Agostino Bosco, Barolo, La Serra. Clients seemed interested in how these two most recent vintages would shape up in time. While the 2019s are the product of hot year, these showed how that vintage manages to show a certain classicism. They will warrant 8 to 10 years in bottle before showing in their prime. In contrast, the 2018s, with their lighter accent, are already starting to show well, even if some of the leading examples will still demand 4- or 5-years patience before really starting to sing. The 2017 table was, for me personally, one of the most fascinating. Not only were some of the region’s most notable growers featured in this line up, but it showcased a vintage that I fear has been a little overlooked. 2017 was a hot and dry vintage and in an earlier era I don’t believe the wines would have come through as well as they have. Growers have had to adapt to modern day conditions in Barolo; whatever way you cut it, this is down to climate change. As I remarked to various clients, in the 1990s there were perhaps three notable vintages which delivered ripe fruit and fine structure, other vintages in which many growers lost precision and freshness in their wines but a greater number of years in which it proved tough to ripen Nebbiolo fully. Leaf-plucking became routine to expose the fruit to the sun and allow aeration. Rolling the clock forward, between 2010 and 2020 we have not had a bad vintage. There have been challenging conditions, but we have had four great vintages - 2010, 2013, 2016 and 2019. Then there have been some more mixed years, but ones in which good growers have nevertheless excelled. Today it is more about providing some protection to the fruit, as opposed to exposing it. This is quite an incredible switch around to have occurred in just 20 years. Growers have needed to learn fast – to learn how to prepare their vineyards for the modern-day challenges of heat and drought, when not so very long ago, the challenge was inclement weather. 2017 is a successful hot vintage, particularly given there were four months in the growing season without any rain. The cooler weather at harvest really assisted in providing freshness to the aromatics and brightness to the fruit; this was notably evident in the selection of 2017s at the tasting. The two wines from Brovia were just beautiful; both the Brea ‘Vigna Ca Mia’ and the Villero were way ahead of the quality that a reading of the vintage reports might suggest possible. Instead we found pure fruit, refined tannins, glossy textures and a complex amalgam of fruit nuances and tertiary notes. Equally compelling were the duo from Poderi Oddero. In the amazingly graceful Vigna Rionda, from one of the region’s finest terroir, Oddero has crafted a genuine beauty in 2017 and I would suggest it isn’t far removed from the quality they delivered in the tremendous 2016 vintage; this should be a wine on your watch list if you a fan of the finest Barolo. The Bussia Vigna Mondoca showed in a similarly impressive manner; Bussia, in Monforte d’Alba, is a controversially large cru but when you taste wines of this calibre, there is no doubting that it has the potential to rank highly, depending on the exact location of the vines within the . Very rich, with a deep damson, plum quality to the fruit and hints of spice, this rich Barolo will demand patience, even in a year like 2017 where some wines are starting to drink. In this latter category, we would place Vietti’s reliable Castiglione blend and, surprisingly, Vajra’s 2017 Ravera, which seems to show very little of the austerity that is more typical of this cool, elevated Novello cru. The 2016 table certainly drew considerable attention, as clients were aware that this vintage is considered to be one of the all-time greats. The 2016 vintage represented the perfect growing season with no excesses or problematic weather. These wines have such appealing fruit and fine tannin that a number show that they are already approachable though even the humblest from this vintage have ageing potential. The table was manned by Atlas’ Nick Pitcher, who commented that clients were impressed by the 2016 Barolo del Comune di La Morra from Renato Corino on account of its expansive, rounded fruit. Renato has always made rich, softly textured wines and his entry level Barolo, principally made from young vines in Rocche del’ Annunziata, has always been considered by Atlas to be something of a bargain; the 2016 is no exception in this respect. Brovia’s Barolo 2016, from across their holdings, also impressed, making for an impressive showing on the night for this traditional producer when you consider how well their 2017s showed. The Brovia and Corino 2016s offer great value, a point borne out by client purchases! Parusso’s lesser known Mariondino from Castiglione Falleto also won favour with its intense fruit, with the touch of oak adding tobacco and vanillin notes, one of the few wines in the room to be aged in that manner. Nick also showed the component wines of Arnaldo Rivera’s Collector’s Case, as Nick said what a vintage for the cooperative of Terre del Barolo to launch a premium mixed case. Clients were fascinated to taste six different crus, each from one of six of the different communes of Barolo, all from the same producer, and from the same vintage. As one client commented ‘A great dinner party experience to be had tasting single cru Barolo at a bargain price!’. It is hard to argue with that. While the Arnaldo Rivera wines aren’t in the Premier League of Barolo, they are well made, approachable and provide a good introduction to understanding the single cru vineyards and the communes that make up the patchwork that is Barolo. Unsurprisingly, the lighter tannins and juicy red from on the Monvigliero impressed various tasters as did the richer, Vigna Rionda. The inclusion of the 2016 Neirane from Agostino Bosco sparked interest too, with many clients returning to the 2019 to refresh the comparison; the 2016 is just starting to drink as this vineyard possesses lighter soils with an element of sand, whereas the 2019 will need more patience. Then finally, we had a mixed table spanning the vintages from 2015 back to 2011, manned by Atlas’ Toby Herbertson. This table was a real draw as it allowed clients some insight into how Barolo ages; this was very much needed as some clients weren’t particularly familiar with the region. Some clients started tasting here, which might not have made it easier to move onto younger wines thereafter. The ability to compare wines from the same growers in 2011 and 2012 fascinated people and both vintages impressed. 2011 is one of those vintages that is starting to drink really well – it was a hot vintage, by the standards of that point in time, but it was wonderful to see how, if anything, the wines seem to have picked up a little more precision as they have aged. Both the Sandrone Cannubi Boschis 2011 and the Vietti Ravera 2011 found favour. The 2012 Sandrone, Le Vigne, shows just how well Sandrone adapt to vintage conditions. The 2013 Cappellano Pie Rupestris was very popular on the night; clients were impressed by the complexity and quality, though some struggled to spot the value in contrast to other wines shown. The conversation surrounding this table focused on when Barolo tannins start to soften and when wines come on stream for drinking. The lighter framed 2014s were up against it, sandwiched as they were between the more tannic 2013s and the bolder, richer 2015s. That said, many clients commented on the attractive nature of Vajra’s 2014 Ravera, which, like the 2017 of the same wine, showed in a forward drinking manner with a dark, glossy fruit, floral aromas and hints of spice. Indeed, all Vajra’s wines were complimented for their accessibility and the purity of the fruit. Finally, the two 2015s proved fascinating to taste. Giovanni Rosso’s Cerretta shows just why there is excitement brewing about this estate. It captured a flinty mineral note that added complexity to a rich palate of dark, slightly brooding fruit, while the tannins were finely expressed and far less obtrusive as they can be in young wines from this Serralunga d’Alba-based cru. Vietti’s inaugural Riserva also attracted plenty of attention; the extra ageing having softened and rounded out the tannins.All in all, the evening was a great success and we have received many positive comments on the venue and the format. We will certainly be running another event at this venue in the New Year.My final thoughts concern the way in which things have evolved in Piemonte. Climate change has meant that Barolo vintages face few of the pitfalls they once did. Instead, there are different challenges, more often than not related to heat and drought. In rapid time, growers have adapted in both the vineyard and cellar to meet these challenges, and today, I would argue, Barolo is one of the most consistent wine regions in Europe. There is just so much to explore, different crus with different altitudes, exposures and soils, as well as producers who employ different techniques. Without doubt, Nebbiolo is a sensitive grape variety that reveals different nuances in different conditions; it rivals Pinot Noir in this respect. Putting on a tasting like this allowed us to share our fascination with the wines and the region. Frankly there has never been a better time to buy Barolo – perhaps you could argue it is the last bastion of great value for finely nuanced reds In Europe. Certainly, £300 per case doesn’t get you far in Burgundy or Bordeaux, but it can get you an impeccably crafted, single vineyard Barolo. That point came across loud and clear to our audience on Wednesday night.
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