Domaine Thomas Morey winery
"Charm and structure, intensity and purism."
Thomas Morey
After 12 years at his father Bernard's winery, Thomas Morey and his wife decided in 2007 to produce their own wines, which today are hard to beat in terms of clarity and sensuality.
The Morey name is firmly anchored in Chassagne-Montrachet. The various branches of the family, most of whom are winegrowers, date back to Claude Morey, who was born in the 17th century in Paris-l'Hôpital, a small commune in the Saône-et-Loire department, about ten kilometres from Chassagne-Montrachet, and settled in Chassagne-Montrachet in 1643. He and his many descendants became winegrowers or coopers. It was not until the end of the 19th century that the first became a full-time winemaker. Thomas Morey's father Bernhard was the first of the family to become famous for his wines. Thomas and his brother Vincent also worked alongside their father for many years, but in 2007 Thomas wanted to go his own way. He felt the need to return to the way of winegrowing that he remembered well from his grandparents. No chemicals had ever been used in the vineyards of this generation and there was as little intervention as possible in the cellar.
thomas and his wife Sylvie started with just two plots in 2007. Gradually, he received more plots from his father, but was also able to acquire plots from neighbours, so that he now owns 13 hectares. In addition to Chassagne-Montrachet, there are white grape varieties in Saint-Aubin, Beaune, Bâtard-Montrachet and Puligny-Montrachet. Pinot Noir is cultivated in Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet, Maranges and Santenay. The plots were converted to organic cultivation from the outset and certified in 2017. Some plots, such as the one in Bâtard-Montrachet, are home to vines that are over 70 years old. The new plantings were and are made from mass selections of old vines. The "old-school approach", as he calls it, of his grandparents also continues in the wine cellar. Thomas Morey works exclusively with spontaneous fermentation and has never used sulphur during fermentation. He always adds the sulphur to the barrels first - and only minimally and in several doses. The white wines mature on the lees, there is no bâtonnage and the proportion of new wood is a moderate 20 %. The wines are lightly filtered before bottling. The Pinot is largely destemmed and carefully matured in wood. The wines only remain in the barrel for around nine months before being bottled. In this way, Morey has quickly gained an excellent reputation for unadulterated, crystal-clear and pure wines.
photos: Domaine Thomas Morey