Product Information:
A blend of three premier crus: Combes (0.33 ha), Perrières (0.44 ha) and les Creots (0.52ha). There's a crystalline and precise bouquet showing green apple and white peach notes with flickers of crushed limestone. More intense as it unfurls. Well-balanced with a peachy opening, good depth, a little creamier than other cuvées with ample weight and a refined finish. This cuvee was created in 2016 due to the frost and was named in honour of Colin Morey's later grandmother Marguerite.
The white wines are whole bunch pressed, fermented with natural yeasts, aged on lees for up to 18 months in mostly in 350 litre barrels with no lees stirring and no filtration.
Burghound describes 2021 as "the kind of vintage that they absolutely love. Otherwise, expressed, it’s a burg geek’s vintage par excellence. The best wines are superbly fresh and transparent as the underlying terroir is wonderfully clear; indeed it’s at the core of each wine.... Outstanding transparency though is not all there is as the wines are strikingly refreshing and tension filled."
Maker:
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 - Pear, Citrus Oil, Fresh Mint
Quite tightly wound when I tasted it, unfurling in the glass with aromas of pear, citrus oil, clear honey, white flowers, toasted nuts and fresh mint.
Palate - White Flesh Fruits, Racy Acids, Chalky Grip
Medium-bodied, layered and rather concentrated, with racy acids and chalky grip, it will certainly benefit from further élevage.
Finish - Toasted Nuts, Stony, Lingering Finish
There is a bit more volume if perhaps not quite the same underlying tension to the medium weight flavors that terminate in a stony and lingering finish.
The blended St-Aubin premier cru has impressive depth and richness, with aromas of apricot and quince underscored with mineral and floral notes. The texture is dense but lively, with crisp acidity and plenty of extract balancing precisely on the lingering finish. The grapes are blended from Les Perrières (near the village), Les Combes (down-slope from En Remilly), and Les Creots (in Gamay, facing due south). Colin feels the blend of the three is better than any of them bottled separately. - Decanter.
A blend of three plots, Combes, Créot and Perrières. A little more colour here, while the nose is stricter up front. The fruit emerges more generously on the palate, with some yellow fruits and a lime-laden finish. A trace of youthful bitterness in the finish. Drink from 2025-2028. - Jasper Morris, Inside Burgundy.
The 2021 Saint-Aubin Hommage à Marguerite debuted five vintages earlier, a blend of Les Perrières, Les Combes and Les Criots. It has a clean, precise bouquet with crushed limestone filtering through the green apple and white peach notes. Understated by gaining intensity in the glass. The palate is well-balanced with a peachy opening, good depth, a little creamier than other cuvées with ample weight on the Chassagne-inspired finish. Lovely. - Neal Martin, Vinous.
50% is from Les Combes with the rest from En Créots and Les Perrières. Moderate wood influence still allows the cool aromas of white flowers and petrol to be appreciated. There is a bit more volume if perhaps not quite the same underlying tension to the medium weight flavors that terminate in a stony and lingering finish that is quite dry while offering notably better depth. - Burghound.
The 2021 Saint-Aubin 1er Cru Hommage à Marguerite was quite tightly wound when I tasted it, unfurling in the glass with aromas of pear, citrus oil, clear honey, white flowers, toasted nuts and fresh mint. Medium-bodied, layered and rather concentrated, with racy acids and chalky grip, it will certainly benefit from further élevage. - Wine Advocate.
The Finer Details
Style - White Wine
Varietal - Chardonnay
Country - France
Region - Burgundy
Vintage - 2021
Bottle Size - 750ml
ABV - 13.5%
