Chassagne Montrachet rouge 1er Cru La Cardeuse 2023 Alex Moreau

The Chassagne Montrachet rouge 1er Cru La Cardeuse 2023 from Domaine Alex Moreau is a rare Pinot Noir, drawn from a monopole Premier Cru held by the Moreau family. Deep, silky and fine, it shows the real potential of Chassagne's red wines, too often overshadowed by their white neighbours. This bottle qualifies for the Compagnon tier of the Confrérie des Clos Vivants.

The terroir and the vines
La Cardeuse is a small climat of barely more than half a hectare in the Morgeot sector, south of Chassagne Montrachet. It belongs entirely to the Moreau family, which makes it a monopole. The Pinot Noir vines grow on clay limestone soils rich in red clays and stones, which give structured wines of real depth. The harvest is carried out by hand. In 2023, the sunny vintage produced ripe, healthy grapes, picked at the right moment to preserve their freshness.

Tasting profile
The colour is a deep ruby. The nose opens on black cherry, blackberry and raspberry, with notes of violet, liquorice and gentle spice. The palate is fleshy and velvety, carried by fine, tight tannins and a lively freshness. The finish is long and faintly mineral. It is already a pleasure to drink and will gain complexity over eight to ten years.

The estate
Alex Moreau comes from a line of winegrowers established in Chassagne Montrachet for several generations, that of Domaine Bernard Moreau et Fils. He now produces his wines under his own name. His style is recognised for its purity, its precise ageing and its great accuracy, in both white and red. La Cardeuse is one of the family's emblematic cuvées.

Food and wine pairing
Serve between 15 and 16 °C, after decanting for half an hour. It will pair beautifully with roast beef tenderloin, rack of lamb with herbs, pigeon with cherries, guinea fowl breast with mushrooms or roast Bresse chicken. For cheese, it goes very well with a Cîteaux or a mature Brillat Savarin.