2013 Domaine Marc Morey Les Vergers Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru 750 ml

1er Cru Chassagne this Good at this Price is Rare

This superb 2013 Marc Morey 1er Cru “Les Vergers” embodies everything we love about Chassagne-Montrachet: elegant and round, with fantastic minerality, silky concentration of fruit, redolent of yellow pear, apple, quince and ripe meyer lemon, with gorgeous white flower aromatics. “Sabine Mollard is quietly going about producing some of Chassagne's finest whites at Domaine Marc Morey,” raves Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, placing this fifth-generation producer at the top of the most-wanted list for white Burgundy collectors.

Drawn off a lieu-dit (the French term for “single-vineyard”) on the northern slope of the village, located in Côte de Beaune’s Golden Triangle, 2013 produced a brilliant crop of expressive Chardonnay. Burghound’s Allen Meadows accorded this wine “outstanding” status, praising its “fine intensity” and “punch and energy” while Wine Advocate called it “very fine” with “admirable concentration.” It’s rare to find Premier Cru Chassagne this good at $65 a bottle. At $59.99? You don’t hesitate.

At age 28, Sabine Mollard had a choice to make. Tragically, her younger brother, who’d been slated to take over the family domaine, had passed away. As the only remaining child, it was up to her to continue the business which had been in the family for five generations, or sell it once her parents retired. She knew little about the craft, with plans to become a geography teacher. Ultimately, she decided to take the business on, dedicating herself to the serious and complex duty of tending the family’s 24 acres in some of the most priceless plots of the Côte de Beaune.

It was a propitious decision. Today, Sabine is one of the appellation’s brightest stars, “consistently producing a stream of successful, immensely attractive wines,” according to Remington Norman and Charles Taylor MW, authors of the landmark tome, The Great Domaines of Burgundy. Combining traditional, manual viticulture with an emphasis on freshness and delicacy rather that fat ripeness, her wines simply sing.

Year after year, few can match the “Les Verges” for mineral complexity and elegance. The name of the lieu-dit translates as “orchards,” referencing the fruit trees and white flowers that bloomed here, a legacy that lives on in this wine’s stunning aromatic bouquet. It’s an area rich in limestone, on coveted ground, with Grand Cru vineyards in sight. Yields are low, rows are ploughed, berries hand-picked, vines are cultivated according to lutte rainsonnée—sustainable farming practices.  

The Côte de Beaune’s 2013 vintage was told in the last weeks before harvest. This was a cool growing season and berry-set was small. The chilly conditions slowed down the maturation cycle. By September 25, growers needed to make a call. Either they could begin picking, so as to preserve natural acidity, or postpone harvest, betting on a glorious Indian summer. Sabine Mollard called it perfectly. Harvest began at Domaine Marc Morey on September 25. The last Chardonnay clusters at “Les Verges” were picked in the first days of October—just in the nick of time, as rain began to pour on October 5 and 6.  

If you buy just one 2013 Chassagne this year, you’d be hard-pressed to improve on this remarkable effort from Sabine.