2010 Chassagne Montrachet Les Baudines

Pale bright yellow. Intriguing nose offers white pepper, lavender, iodine and a whiff of earth. Juicy and intense, with lovely cut and lift to the perfumed floral and iodine flavors. Finishes aromatic and long, with a lightly tannic impression. There's something raw and unembellished about this soil-driven wine.

Morey’s 2010 Chassagne-Montrachet Baudines is rich, layered and impeccably balanced. The 2010 is built on a gorgeous core of expressive fruit, yet it also has plenty of nuance and detail. Overall, this is a refined, polished style of Chassagne that will drink well right out of the gate within the context of the year. Anticipated maturity: 2012+. This is a gorgeous set of wines from Thomas Morey. In the 2010s I find gorgeous transparency to site and tons of refinement, something I saw less of in the 2009s. Yields were down 15-20%, which is pretty good considering the fate many of Morey’s colleagues suffered. Because Morey bottles before the following harvest, the cellar is warmed to start the malos, which in 2010 were done by January, to give the wines six months or so to settle prior to bottling. Fans of the domaine should be thrilled to learn that production is set to go up in 2011 with three new wines; Macherelles, Chenevottes, and Clos St. Jean, while quantities will increase slightly in the Morgeot and Batard. Importer: Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL; tel. (205) 980-8802

Pale yellow. High-pitched aromas of ginger, white flowers and mint. A step up in both texture and acidity from the Ouilliers, but in a cooler and more citrussy style. Good sappy, chewy wine with a juicy, firm finish. This will call for a few years of bottle aging.