Chassagne Montrachet rouge 1er cru Clos St Jean 2023 Domaine Thomas Morey

The Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos Saint Jean 2023 from Domaine Thomas Morey is one of the most precious and singular red cuvées of the Côte de Beaune, and perhaps the most emblematic red from a village known worldwide for its great Chardonnays. Yet Chassagne-Montrachet produces too, quietly and with rare elegance, Pinot Noirs that stand shoulder to shoulder with the finest Volnay or Chambolle-Musigny. The Clos Saint Jean is its most accomplished expression.

The terroir of Clos Saint Jean

Clos Saint Jean is one of the most historically celebrated and respected premier crus of Chassagne-Montrachet. Its history reaches back before the year 1000, when the village of Chassagne drew its renown from this clos, the property of the Benedictine abbey of Saint-Jean-le-Grand, founded by a daughter of the king of the Visigoths. The Benedictines were followed by Cistercian monks from the abbey of Maizières in Beaune, who perpetuated its cultivation with the rigour that characterised Burgundian monastic orders. Situated in the upper central part of Chassagne-Montrachet's vineyard lands, mid-slope and east-facing, this climat benefits from a brown limestone soil on marl, rich in clay and iron oxides, those red earth characteristic of Chassagne that give the commune's Pinot Noirs their depth, richness and distinctive mineral finesse. From 1831 onwards, historic classifications placed Clos Saint Jean among the very finest crus of the commune for red wines, on equal footing with Morgeot and la Maltroie, and well above all its neighbours. The Morey family, rooted in Chassagne since 1643, has cultivated vines here for generations.

Tasting profile

The robe is a deep ruby red with garnet reflections, dense and luminous. The nose reveals striking finesse and complexity for a Côte de Beaune red, with aromas of black cherry, blackcurrant and blueberry opening onto floral notes of violet and peony, enriched by sweet spices, a hint of damp earth and a ferruginous minerality that betrays the origin of these red clay soils. On the palate, the wine is voluptuous and fruited, with a silky texture and remarkable aromatic depth. The tannin structure is present but of great elegance, never aggressive, with fresh acidity well integrated that brings tension and length. The finish is persistent, saline and mineral, of absolute purity. A red that is both fleshy and refined, recalling the finest Pinots of the Côte de Nuits through the depth of its substrate, yet unmistakably Beaune in the suppleness of its texture. A wine for the cellar, minimum 8 to 15 years ageing.

About the domaine

Thomas Morey represents the tenth generation of a vignerons family established in Chassagne-Montrachet since 1643. He founded his own domaine in 2006 with his wife Sylvie, after working alongside his father Bernard for more than a decade. On 13 hectares certified organic since 2017, he produces around twenty cuvées in white and red, spread across seven villages of the Côte de Beaune. His style is marked by a deliberate search for lightness, tension and terroir definition, departing from the more oaky approach of the previous generation, inspired by great names like Jean-Marc Roulot. Vinifications are with wild yeasts, reds with no fining or filtration, with measured ageing in 228-litre barrels with little new oak, followed by time in vat before bottling. Sulphur is used to the minimum, never during fermentation. An approach that allows the terroir to speak without mediation.

Food pairings

This Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos Saint Jean red will pair beautifully with beef fillet with morels, roasted lamb rack with Provence herbs, pigeon with Puy lentils, game birds such as partridge with cabbage, or confited black pork belly. It will also find harmony with soft-ripened cheeses like Époisses or Soumaintrain, or aged Comté. Decanting for 30 minutes is advised in its youth. Served between 15 and 17°C, it will reveal all the finesse and depth of one of the Côte de Beaune's finest reds.