Domaine Bernard Moreau

2013 Harvest Notes: The growing season got off to a very late start due to cool temperatures and rain into June. Flowering occurred late, about June 25th, and was irregular, thus significantly reducing the crop. Summer weather gradually turned hot and dry, allowing the grapes to ripen steadily and develop concentrated flavors and aromas. The region was spared the damaging storms that effected other parts of Burgundy. Veraison occurred in late August. The quality of the vintage was assured by excellent weather from mid-August through harvest. Moreau began picking his Pinot Noir on October 10th and his Chardonnay grapes six days later — one of his latest harvests ever. Picking proceeded under dry and conditions with cool nights. Yields and production were lower than usual, but the quality of the 2013 vintage’s ripe, bright, energetic and expressive fruit places it among the finest of recent years.

It’s impossible to discuss Chassagne-Montrachet without mentioning the name Bernard Moreau. Year to year, this celebrated producer vinifies and bottles some of the purest, most thought-provoking wines of the appellation. Employing a style of wine making that might best be described as hands-off, Bernard produces Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays that are sensual, opulent and utterly delicious.

The winery’s roots go back to 1809 when Auguste Moreau built a cellar across from the Champs Gain vineyard and farmed his few hectares of Chardonnay and Pinot along the golden slope. The 1930s saw an expansion of the family’s vineyards under the guidance of Marcel Moreau. Roughly 80% of the domaine’s current vineyard holdings were acquired by Marcel. At age 14, Bernard Moreau took over the vineyards and cellar in the early 1960’s. In 1977 the reputation of this great estate was fully established under the leadership of Bernard and Françoise Moreau and the winery was named Domaine Bernard Moreau. In addition to the changes in equipment, farming and wine making, they also purchased additional land bringing the vineyard total to 14 hectares. To help with wine making, viticulture and sales, sons Alex and Benoît joined the Domaine after having worked in New Zealand, Australia and South Africa.

Alex and Benoit have loosely split the responsibilities of the operation with Benoit more focused on the vineyards and Alex more focused on the cellar. There first vintage was 1995 and they took over control of the vineyards and winemaking in 1999.

As with most all great Burgundian estates the emphasis at Domaine Moreau is on terroir. Treat the vineyards right and they’ll reward you with superior fruit. To maintain healthy balanced soils the winery uses organic fertilizers and no pesticides. To ensure greater flavor intensity they farm the land for lower yields through pruning, debudding, green harvesting in August, leaf thinning for Pinot Noir (on the morning sun side), and the planting of cover crops in certain vineyards to encourage competition and soak up moisture.

The domaine’s Chardonnay vines average 20 years of age and are severely pruned in the Guyot Simple method to prevent excess production. Moreau has two superb parcels of Chardonnay vines with different soils. One has pure, white limestone soil; so pure is the lime- stone that it is almost clear at the top of its steep slope. This site imparts a distinct minerality. The other parcel has a stony, red clay soil; its south-east exposure and slight slope ensures optimal ripening and gives the wine its structure and body. It is the combination of both origins that makes the Moreau Chardonnay Bourgogne Blanc at once rich, concentrated, fresh and complex.

Moreau ferments in 400 litre oak casks; 20% were new for the 2012 vintage, and the balance are between 1 to 4 years old. The lees were stirred about once per week over the first 6 weeks only in order to enrich the young wine while maintaining freshness. The fermentation period lasted for 2 weeks using the grape’s native yeasts, and was followed by 6 months of maturation in barrel. Malolactic fermentation took place in barrel, after which the wine was racked for the first time. The young wine was then transferred to stainless steel tanks in March to harmonize the cuvée and complete its development on the fine lees. Moreau bottled his 2012 Chardonnay on April 15, 2013.