2023 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Saint-Aubin 1er Cru "La Chatenière", Burgundy, France

ABOUT THE WINE

La Chatenière is a small Saint-Aubin Premier Cru devoted to Chardonnay, and Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey farms three parcels within the climat. The younger vines contribute freshness and acidity, while two parcels of roughly 50–60-year-old vines provide greater ripeness, volume and depth. The combination gives the wine an appealing duality: richness through the middle of the palate alongside the steely energy for which Saint-Aubin is prized.

The 2023 shows pear, citrus and white floral tones layered with flint, hazelnut, delicate spice and hints of honey. It has impressive concentration without heaviness, its supple, almost satin-like texture sharpened by freshness and a saline mineral backbone. The vintage was vinified with whole-cluster pressing and fermentation in cask, with approximately one-third new oak reported for this cuvée. Colin-Morey avoided bâtonnage in 2023, feeling that the wines already possessed sufficient flesh and richness.

That restrained cellar approach allows La Chatenière’s character to remain at the forefront: ripe Chardonnay fruit framed by limestone-like tension rather than overt oak. Still youthful, it should become increasingly expressive with bottle age; critics have highlighted both its immediate precision and its potential to develop through the latter part of the decade. Pair it with roasted turbot or halibut, scallops, lobster, roast chicken, veal with morels, or creamy dishes whose richness can play against the wine’s acidity and saline finish.

ABOUT THE PRODUCER

Domaine Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey was established by Pierre-Yves Colin and his wife, Caroline Morey, in 2001. Both come from important Burgundian wine families—Pierre-Yves is the son of Marc Colin, while Caroline is the daughter of Jean-Marc Morey. Today the domaine works approximately 13 hectares across Saint-Aubin, Chassagne-Montrachet, Santenay, Puligny-Montrachet and Meursault, with Chardonnay accounting for the overwhelming majority of production. 

The domaine’s philosophy centers on preserving vineyard identity, freshness and longevity. Soils are cultivated or grassed where slopes demand it, and picking decisions aim for a careful balance between physiological ripeness and acidity. In the cellar, white grapes are pressed as whole bunches, and Pierre-Yves has moved away from bâtonnage while favoring extended, controlled élevage, including larger-format barrels. The result is a distinctive style of white Burgundy: concentrated but rarely heavy, subtly reductive when young, and marked by clarity, tension and a pronounced mineral expression.