2023 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru "Maltroie", Burgundy, France

ABOUT THE WINE

La Maltroie lies below the village of Chassagne-Montrachet, in the northern part of the appellation near the Premier Cru vineyards of Champs Gains. Its clay-limestone soils help produce Chardonnay with both substance and mineral definition, and the site is often associated with a broader, more powerful expression of Chassagne. Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey’s interpretation tempers that natural richness with freshness and precision.

The 2023 opens gradually with white peach, pear and citrus, joined by orange blossom, white flowers and crushed stone. With air, more savory notes of toasted hazelnut and almond emerge. The palate is substantial and silky, with ripe stone fruit and a slightly honeyed texture, but a bright line of acidity runs through the wine from beginning to end. Its combination of power, mineral tension and a long saline finish makes this one of the more structured expressions in the domaine’s Chassagne-Montrachet range.

As elsewhere at the domaine, the winemaking is designed to preserve freshness rather than amplify richness. Pierre-Yves reported particularly good acidity after malolactic fermentation in 2023, with the wines generally raised in 350-liter barrels. The domaine’s whites are whole-cluster pressed and undergo extended élevage with minimal intervention, an approach that builds texture while maintaining the clarity and tension for which the wines are known.

La Maltroie has the concentration to reward cellaring, although its generous 2023 fruit makes it compelling with sufficient air even in youth. Serve around 12–13°C and pair with lobster, roasted turbot, scallops, roast chicken with cream and mushrooms, veal blanquette or sweetbreads—the wine’s richness complements creamy preparations while its acidity and saline finish provide balance.

ABOUT THE PRODUCER

Domaine Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey has become one of the benchmark names for modern white Burgundy. Pierre-Yves comes from the Marc Colin family of Saint-Aubin and established his own domaine with his wife, Caroline Morey, whose family is deeply rooted in Chassagne-Montrachet. The estate has grown from a small collection of vineyards to holdings spread across Saint-Aubin, Chassagne-Montrachet, Puligny-Montrachet and Meursault.

The domaine is defined by a philosophy of preserving vineyard identity through careful farming and restrained cellar work. Whole-cluster pressing, limited settling of the must, larger-format barrels and long élevage encourage complexity without sacrificing acidity or site expression. The wines frequently possess a smoky, flinty character in youth that gradually integrates to reveal remarkably pure fruit and mineral detail.

That approach is particularly effective in La Maltroie, where a naturally substantial terroir could easily produce an overly broad wine. Instead, Colin-Morey channels its depth into a Chardonnay that feels simultaneously powerful and controlled—an expression of Chassagne-Montrachet built around texture, mineral tension, precision and longevity.