Chassagne Montrachet 1er cru Vide Bourse 2023 Domaine Thomas Morey

The Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Vide Bourse 2024 from Domaine Thomas Morey is the domaine's signature expression of Chardonnay from Chassagne-Montrachet, sourced from very old vines planted in the 1940s. It ranks among the richest and most ambitious premier crus in the domaine's range. On the fresh and tensely acidic 2024 vintage, Vide Bourse reveals a balance between power and precision rarely achieved on this parcel.

The Vide Bourse terroir

Vide Bourse is one of Chassagne-Montrachet's most recently classified premier crus, receiving official recognition only in 1974. Its evocative name, meaning literally "empty purse," perhaps speaks to the wealth and reputation that made it so coveted. This exceptional climat is neighbour to Bâtard-Montrachet, lying directly downslope along the gentle incline and the old Couches road. Its westerly exposure and north-south row orientation follow the soft slope, conferring a particularly generous and rich character. The soil is deep, stony and well-draining, scattered with small stones that absorb solar heat by day and release it slowly at night, encouraging harmonious ripening and rare aromatic concentration. Soil depth ensures vine hydration during dry periods, with roots penetrating deep into this rich clay-limestone substrate. Thomas Morey himself describes this vineyard as "the domaine's pride," producing wines recalling Morgeot but requiring still more time to reveal their full potential.

Tasting profile

The colour is pale gold with green reflections, bright and limpid, slightly lighter than recent sunny vintages, reflecting slow and harmonious ripening on this fresh and tensile 2024. The nose is both dense and precise, with aromas of dried fruits, almond and fresh hazelnut, alongside notes of candied lemon, lightly preserved pear and citrus, with fine and chiselled calcaire minerality. The oak, beautifully integrated, adds complexity without masking terroir. On the palate, the wine unfolds in a register both ample and tense, rich material carried by lively natural acidity that structures the whole with remarkable clarity and straightness on this vintage. Fat and minerality interweave in gripping balance, the texture silky and profound, and the long persistent finish unfolds over mineral, spicy and lightly toasted notes. A powerful yet precise wine in its youth, destined for considerable cellar evolution over ten to twenty years.

The domaine

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

Food pairing

This Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Vide Bourse is fine dining wine par excellence. It pairs beautifully with Bresse chicken in cream and morels, bouchées à la reine with veal sweetbreads, lobster bavarois, grilled salmon with beurre blanc, seared foie gras with citrus or creamed poultry. Made for the cellar, serve between 12 and 14°C with 20 minutes of decanting advised for young vintages. It will progressively reveal the full richness and depth of this exceptional terroir, direct neighbour to Bâtard-Montrachet.