Product Information:
The 2022 Hautes Cotes de Beaune Bourgogne Blanc was produced entirely from young vines, as this plot is being replanted at higher densities. The wine is vibrant and fresh relfecting its source, it needs a little time or aeration to show its best. Ample depth covering a very fine structure. Aromas of orchard fruit, nutmeg and toasted hazelnuts, it's medium-bodied, with tangy acids and a lengthy mineral finish.
In the Lieu-dit known as En Creuzilly, one of the coolest areas of the Côtes de Beaune, situated at an elevation of 420 meters with a higher clay content in the soil. The vines face towards the Nolay commune. PYCM purchased this vineyard in 2014, and the first vintage produced from it was in 2015. From an 8 ha domaine shared with Domaine Etienne Sauzet – about 6km from their own domaine.
This release according to Burghound "2022 is the best white Burgundy vintage since 2017 and rivals, if not surpasses, 2014 in quality. Genuinely great wines were made up and down the classification hierarchy and in every commune. Moreover, unlike 2021, quantities are good though not actually generous so there is a reasonable chance that you will be able to find them, a big plus because you will want to find them."
All the wines are made in 350 litre barrels, with crushed and cooled grapes, no settling of the solids after pressing, no lees stirring either, an early and rapid fermentation, then malolactics followed, finished by Christmas. The crushing and long pressing give a more concentrated dry extract. They were worried at the harvest by the relatively high pH levels, but the certainly don’t taste that way. The first two whites and the reds were racked before the harvest, the rest still in barrel. Note that in 2022 almost all the wines are from their own domaine, excepting Corton Charlemagne, Chassagne-Montrachet Baudines and part of the Meursault blend.
Maker:
“This is not just one of the top domaines in the Cote de Beaune in Burgundy, Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey is now well recognised as one of the greatest winemakers and domaines in the world. Consistently producing benchmark wines in each vintage.”
Established as one of the young rising stars of Burgundy, Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey in 2005 left his family Domaine, Marc Colin, where he gained a solid reputation for his outstanding white wines. Pierre-Yves took control of a share of the family vineyards (Domaine Marc Colin) from 2006 vintage. His first vintages have been made from vineyards and growers that he works closely with buying the wine as must and aging the wines in barrels which he has supplied. If the resulting wines meet his standards the barrels of wine purchased are then matured in his own cold cellar below his house in Chassagne Montrachet.
The Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey estate was born in 2001 from the association of Pierre-Yves Colin (son of Marc) and Caroline Morey (daughter of Jean-Marc). Today they operate 13 hectares in the villages of Saint-Aubin, Chassagne-Montrachet, Santenay, Puligny-Montrachet and Meursault. Their production consists of 92% Chardonnay, 5% Pinot Noir and 3% of Aligoté grape variety. Working about 2 hectares from the family heritage, the other plots have come from different acquisitions over the last fifteen years, as well as a few plots in Fermages.
Philosophy:
The Chassagne vineyard dates back to the years 280 AD. Historically, the vineyards of Chassagne were mainly planted with Pinot Noir; the Grands Crus and some other plots were white (Chardonnay grape). In 1935, the INAO was created and set itself the task of defining appellations in order to ensure their quality and enhance them. It was also at this time that the Grands Crus of the Montrachet hill were delimited.
The vineyard is located between 220 and 340 meters altitude on clay-limestone soils. Most of the hillside vines are based on Jurassic lands (-201 million to -145 million years old). Descending towards the plain, the soils are more recent, dating from the Quaternary (2 million years ago) and come from the erosion of the upper layers. Since the 1990s, the village has seen its proportion of vines planted with Pinot noir decrease in favour of vines planted with Chardonnay. Today, the village is world famous and renowned for its white wines, particularly thanks to the Grands Crus of Montrachet.
Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey white wines are whole bunch pressed and fermented with native yeast. Ageing up to 16 months for Bourgognes, St Aubins and more than 18 months for top end white wines with no lees stirring in a very cool cellar. The red wines get partial whole-bunch ferments (about 30%) with very gentle pumping over and gentle vinification designed to maximise freshness and finesse. Long untreated corks for most wines and bottles sealed with wax. The resulting wines are built to age classically up to 10 years or more.
Nose - Orchard Fruits, Nutmeg, Toasted Hazenuts
Offering up aromas of ripe orchard fruit, nutmeg and toasted hazelnuts.
Palate - Nectarines, Lemon Curd, Mineral Inflected
Juicy Nectarines, mineral-inflected and delicious with depth and length on the more tightly wound finale.
Finish - Citrus, Tangy Acids, Mineral Finish
Medium-bodied, with tangy acids and a mineral finish.
The 2022 Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Beaune Au Bout du Monde was produced entirely from young vines, as this plot is being replanted at higher densities. Offering up aromas of orchard fruit, nutmeg and toasted hazelnuts, it's medium-bodied, with tangy acids and a mineral finish. The 2022 vintage is another success for Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey, in style somewhat reminiscent, at this early stage, of the estate's 2020s. As ever, picking tends to be on the early side with a view to retaining freshness. As readers may know, Colin's bigger cuvées are crushed and see four-hour press cycles, whereas smaller cuvées aren't crushed but see even longer press cycles lasting five or more hours. Vinification and maturation in barrel, with a heavy emphasis on larger-format barrels, follow. - Wine Advocate, 88-90 Points.
Here too there is a smoky character to the aromas of white orchard fruit that also reflect petrol and citrus influences. There is a bit more energy to the mineral-inflected and delicious medium weight flavors that offer slightly better depth and length on the more tightly wound finale. Worth considering. - Burghound, *Outstanding, Top Value*
Had to replant everything in 2018 so still very young vines. Pale lemon colour, an interesting floral nose, an attractive ripeness followed by a clear-cut citrus acidity. Very good length once again. This has all the energy one associates with PYCM. Drink from 2025-2027. - Jasper Morris MW, Inside Burgundy.
The Finer Details
Style - White Wine
Varietal - Chardonnay
Country - France
Region - Burgundy
Vintage - 2022
Bottle Size - 750ml
ABV - 12.5%
