2016 Domaine Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey, Bourgogne Blanc, France.
The latest basic Bourgogne Blanc from the talented Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey is a beauty and shows vivid form and detail, it gives a performance way beyond its price class or label. Always a killer value the 2016 version displays vibrant citrus, leaning on lemony notes along with classic apple and pear fruits as well as mineral, golden fig, clove and hazelnut on the brisk palate. This wine while lovely and textured has a stony austerity and is not showy and is more for those that love a lean style and focused Chardonnay.
One of the world’s great white wine producers, Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey has build a serious cult following and his laser sharp white Burgundies ooze class, vibrancy and precision, and his wines can in the lesser crus and appellation series offerings are fantastic values, while his top crus are the stuff of legends. Pierre-Yves Colin Morey, aka PYCM, is the eldest son of the famed Marc Colin, and after working as the winemaker at his father’s domaine from 1994 to 2005, he established his own domaine from family vineyards that he had inherited from his family. PYCM would go on to become a star in the Cote de Beaune and is now considered one of Burgundy’s top producers, and his wife Caroline Morey with his help and her own family connections is now a rising star too.
Colin-Morey’s choice, according to his importer Skurnik Wines, to use larger demi-muid barrels and eschew the use of battonnage, makes each one of his bottlings a clear expression of its terroir and a study in mineral-driven Chardonnay, of which I find to be a proven truth as well, these are laser sharp Chards that have helped define what we expect from the region
One of Burgundy’s ultimate values, the PYCM Bourgogne Blanc has an exceptional pedigree coming exclusively from 40 plus year old parcels, all grown to organic or at least sustainable practices in Saint-Aubin, 65% in 2016 and 35% from Puligny-Montrachet. Pierre-Yves as per normal with his Chardonnays, fermented and aged his Bougogne Blanc in 350L barrels using only indigenous yeasts, he employed just 10% new oak on this vintage and bottled as usual without fining and unfiltered.
This 2016 Bourgogne Blanc is showing well and while almost impossible to find without the help of wine-searcher it remains a wine to look for price and substance, and be sure to search out the non Premier Cru St. Aubin stuff, and especially the Premier Cru En Remilly for exceptional value in white Burgundy!
($40 Est.) 92 Points, grapelive