Saint Aubin 1er cru Le Puits 2023 Domaine Thomas Morey

The Saint-Aubin Premier Cru Le Puits 2024 from Domaine Thomas Morey is perhaps the most confidential and precious cuvée of the range, and one of the most eloquent demonstrations of what Thomas Morey means by 'terroir': a wine of crystalline purity, white fruit aromas of absolute clarity, from the smallest classified premier cru of the entire Saint-Aubin appellation. The 2024 vintage, marked by exceptional natural freshness and cool nights that preserved the acidity and tension of the grapes, signs one of the most precise and chiselled expressions of this cuvée in several vintages.

The terroir of Le Puits

Le Puits is, at exactly 60 ares and 37 centiares, the smallest climat classified as premier cru in the entire Saint-Aubin appellation, shared between only two owners. Thomas Morey planted his vines there in spring 2000, and the parcel has been in production since 2002, relatively young vines by Burgundian standards, but which already express with remarkable frankness and purity the identity of this singular terroir. Located on the hillside above the village of Saint-Aubin, with south-east exposure, this lieu-dit rests on predominantly limestone soil, rather white earth mixed with small pebbles in great quantity. This strong stoniness ensures impeccable drainage, low water reserve that naturally disciplines the vine, and above all the mineral tension and characteristic nervousness that define this terroir's singularity. Saint-Aubin is often described as one of the best-value terroirs of the Côte de Beaune, a high-altitude limestone terroir, cooler than its neighbours, which confers on Chardonnays a freshness, tension and aromatic precision that sometimes recall the great neighbouring Puligny-Montrachets, for a fraction of their price. On the 2024 vintage, this natural freshness is pushed to its maximum: the grapes achieved slow and harmonious ripeness, preserving natural acidity of a liveliness and clarity few other vintages can claim.

Tasting profile

The colour is pale lemon yellow with green reflections, crystalline limpid and almost transparent. The nose is ultra-fresh, precise and of absolute purity: aromas of crisp green apple, pear, lime and white flowers intermingle with a light cold mineral touch that recalls wet flint. The natural acidity of the 2024 vintage is perceptible from the nose, conferring on the bouquet a liveliness and tension that announce a palate of remarkable uprightness and clarity. On the palate, the acidity is lively and nervous, structuring elegant and precise matter, with crisp fruit and mineral tension that run through the wine like an electric current. The texture is silky and the balance between freshness and depth of rare harmony. The finish is long, saline and mineral, with persistence and clarity that command respect. Thomas Morey recommends waiting at least five years before opening this 2024, so much does its current tension and verticality announce magnificent evolution in the cellar over ten to fifteen 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, inspired by references such as Jean-Marc Roulot. Chardonnays ferment in indigenous yeasts and are aged on fine lees in 228 and 350-litre barrels, with only 20 per cent new oak, without or with very occasional lees-stirring. Sulphur is used at the strict minimum, never during fermentation. Remarkably, the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti has entrusted Thomas Morey with the care of its vines in the legendary Montrachet Grand Cru, a unique recognition that testifies to his viticultural excellence.

Food pairings

This Saint-Aubin Premier Cru Le Puits will pair with finesse over poached cod with lemon butter, scallops with truffle cauliflower purée, almond trout, Bresse chicken in cream and morels or porcini risotto. It will also find fine harmony with characterful soft-ripened cheeses such as Chaource or semi-dry goat cheese from the Hautes-Côtes. Served between 11 and 13 °C, it will reveal all the purity, tension and minerality of a premier cru of rare sincerity and elegance, patience rewarded.