Pierre Yves Colin Morey Batard Montrachet Grand Cru 2021
(Cote de Beaune, France) - [VM 95-97] [DM 95] [BH 93-96] [WA 93-95] [JM 93-95]

Pre-order - ETA 5 days from the date of the order

About the Winemaker:
The young Pierre-Yves Colin is rapidly becoming one of most highly regarded winemakers in Burgundy. He has been making the wine at Marc Colin, the family Domaine, for over 10 years. He went to enology school in Beaune and worked at Chalk Hill as well as wineries in the Northern Rhone, Languedoc and Loire before returning to Burgundy. He and his wife Caroline, Jean-Marc Morey's daughter, founded their own negociant firm and made 150 cases total from five appellations in the debut 2001 vintage.

The approach in both the vineyard and the winery is natural and non-interventionist. At Domaine Marc Colin he eliminated the use of herbicides in most of the vineyards and switched to plowing, which deepens the root system and improves the flavors of the wine. He follows the same program at his estate vineyards. Approximately 60% of the total production now comes from the estate vineyards in Chassagne and Saint Aubin. They bought a new press in 2006 and Pierre-Yves now harvests most of the purchased fruit with his own team. Production of the 1er and Grand Crus is still miniscule - only 2 or 3 barrel s from each vineyard.

The juice is pressed into barrel before primary fermentation and then Pierre-Yves leaves them alone as much as possible. Fermentation is always initiated by natural yeast and he does not stir the lees, rack the barrels or even filter the wines.

Pierre-Yves also prefers unusual barrels - about 80% of them are 50% larger than normal Burgundy barrels. Depending on the vintage, most of the top wines are aged in new oak, but the larger barrels minimize the oak influence and also delay the malolactic fermentation. The cellar is also kept very cold to further delay the malolactic fermentation - which ideally finishes 8-9 months after harvest. Approximately 18 months after harvest the wines are lightly fined and then bottled. The extended elevage helps preserve aromatic intensity and purity as well as giving the wines the right balance for long-term ageing.

Ratings & Reviews

95-97 Points – Vinous Media:
“The 2021 Batard Montrachet Grand Cru, comprising just a single one-year-old 300-liter barrel, is stunning on the nose with vibrant green apple, wet limestone and citrus scents, quite penetrating but, oh so elegant. The palate is well balanced with a powerful opening, more tropical than anticipated with wild peach, persimmon and hints of grapefruit, spicy with stem ginger on the finish. Wonderful.” – Neal Martin (Jan 2023)

95 Points – Decanter Magazine:
“The Bâtard was curiously less expressive and a bit more reserved than other wines in this cellar. Still, however, pleasantly ripe pear and quince aromas with a subtle hint of white flowers develops on the palate. The texture is firm and broad, with structure in all the right places. The grapes come from the 0.08-hectare plot at the centre of Bâtard; they are lightly crushed prior to fermentation in large casks with a modest proportion of new wood for the appellation.” – Charles Curtis MW (Oct 2022)

93-96 Points – BurgHound:
“An exuberantly fresh and floral-suffused nose also displays notes of green apple and citrus confit. There is excellent richness and power to the focused middleweight flavors that evidence a taut muscularity on the impressively persistent finale. Excellent development potential here.” (Jun 2023)

93-95 Points – Wine Advocate:
“The 2021 Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru is terrific, exhibiting aromas of pear, crisp green apple, orange zest and freshly baked bread. Full-bodied, layered and multidimensional, it's taut and layered, with terrific concentration and a long, saline finish. Sadly, less than one barrel was produced.” – William Kelley (Jan 2023)

93-95 Points – Jasper Morris’ Inside Burgundy:
“From the vines of Pierre-Yves’ father-in-law Jean-Marc Morey. One new barrel of 280 litres, built to measure, clean and pure, ripe enough, white fruit, with a steadily growing power to the back. Keeps on going without ever becoming massive. Drink from 2028-2034.” (Oct 2022)