Chassagne Montrachet 1er cru Vide Bourse 2023 Domaine Thomas Morey

The Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru Vide Bourse 2024 from Domaine Thomas Morey is the pride and signature of the domaine in Chardonnay from Chassagne-Montrachet, a cuvée from very old vines planted in the early 1940s whose exact planting date remains unknown to this day. It gives rise to one of the richest, deepest and most ambitious premier crus in the entire range. On the 2024 vintage, marked by natural freshness and remarkable acidity, the Vide Bourse reveals a balance between power and precision rarely achieved on this parcel.

The terroir of Vide Bourse

Vide Bourse is one of the most recently classified premier crus of Chassagne-Montrachet, having gained official recognition only in 1974. Its evocative name, literally 'empty purse', perhaps testifies to the richness and reputation that made it so coveted it emptied the wallets of those who wanted it. This exceptional climat is surrounded by Bâtard-Montrachet, of which it is the direct continuation at a slightly lower level on the hillside, along the old road to Couches. Its exposure is westerly, with vine rows oriented north-south following the very gentle slope, which gives it a particularly generous and rich character. The soil is deep, stony and well-draining, scattered with small pebbles that accumulate solar heat during the day and release it slowly at night, promoting harmonious ripeness and rare aromatic concentration. The soil depth is sufficient to guarantee water supply to the vines during periods of drought, their roots plunging deep into this rich clay-limestone substrate. Thomas Morey himself describes this vineyard as 'the pride of the domaine', producing wines with a character evoking Morgeot but requiring even more time to fully reveal themselves.

Tasting profile

The colour is pale gold with green reflections, bright and limpid, slightly lighter than recent sunny vintages, reflecting slow and harmonious ripeness on a fresh and tense 2024 vintage. The nose is both dense and precise, with aromas of dried fruit, almond and fresh hazelnut, combined with notes of preserved lemon, lightly candied pear and citrus, with fine, chiselled limestone minerality. The oak, very well integrated, adds complexity without ever masking the terroir. On the palate, the wine reveals itself in a register both broad and tense at once, rich and generous matter carried by lively natural acidity that structures the whole with remarkable clarity and uprightness on this vintage. Fat and minerality intertwine in a striking balance, the texture is silky and deep, and the long, persistent finish unfolds with mineral, spicy and slightly toasted notes. A powerful yet precise wine in its youth, destined for great evolution in the cellar over ten to twenty years.

The domaine

Thomas Morey represents the tenth generation of a winemaking family established in Chassagne-Montrachet since 1643. He founded his own domaine in 2006 with his wife Sylvie, on 13 hectares certified organic since 2017. His style is distinguished by a deliberate quest for lightness, tension and absolute terroir definition, with fermentations in indigenous yeasts, no sulphur during fermentation, and ageing of Chardonnays on fine lees in 228 and 350-litre barrels with only 20 per cent new oak, for 16 to 18 months total. Remarkably, the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti has entrusted Thomas Morey with the care of its vines in the legendary Montrachet Grand Cru, a recognition that testifies to the excellence of a winemaker whom Vide Bourse illustrates with disarming richness and depth.

Food pairings

This Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru Vide Bourse is fine dining wine par excellence. It will pair beautifully with Bresse chicken in cream and morels, bouchées à la reine with veal sweetbreads, lobster bavarian, grilled salmon with beurre blanc, seared foie gras with citrus or creamed poultry. Built for cellaring, served between 12 and 14 °C with 20 minutes of decanting recommended for young vintages, it will gradually reveal all the richness and depth of this exceptional terroir, direct neighbour of Bâtard-Montrachet.