Perhaps it could be said that how you know you've made it as a winemaker in Burgundy is when everyone starts turning your name into an acronym - at least the best of them often go by acronyms - now, regardless of whether this is truth or coincidence, it certainly is the case for one PYCM, that is, Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey.

Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey, based out on the haloed grounds of Chassagne-Montrachet in French Burgundy's Cote de Beaune, is in fact reference to the couple who founded the estate - that is, Pierre-Yves Colin and Caroline Morey. Now for those familiar with Burgundy, those surnames might already ring a bell, alluding to their prized historical lineage belonging to the Colin and Morey families, who have respectively made their mark in the region through generations of incredible winemaking. The Colin dynasty, centered around Chassagne-Montrachet and Saint-Aubin, goes back at least 4 generations to Jean Baptiste Colin who established the family's presence in Burgundy in the 1850's, with his grandson being the highly respected Marc Colin (of Domaine Marc Colin), and Pierre-Yves Colin in turn his great-grandson (and also the son of Marc Colin). The Morey's on the other hand date back to the 16th century, concentrating around Chassagne-Montrachet and Meursault, with Caroline Morey the daughter of the legendary Jean-Marc Morey (Domaine Jean-Marc Morey). These two historic houses thus converged when Pierre-Yves Colin and Caroline Morey got together, which is today PYCM.

The fabled Chassagne Montrachet.

Given the historic nature of Chassagne, it's nevertheless unsurprising then that there are more than a few Colin's and Morey's (and Pillot's too!) in the area too represented by other members of both families who have too struck out on their own and have established their own domaine to great success. Whilst the region is today perhaps somewhat synonymous with its Chardonnay whites, which is widely believed to be ideal for the the terroir, there was a time just a century ago when the clay and limestone soils here were predominantly planted with Pinot Noir reds, yet the reality is that in Chassagne, it's all about site selection, as even a slight tilt in soil composition can greatly alter fruit quality. This is at least the starting point to which PYCM begins to work its magic, with the Pierre-Yves and Caroline's incredibly intimate understanding of the land. Yet, the land is always only one part of the story that is a matter of nature and winemaker. PYCM's rise to stardom is also a matter of the pair's reinvention of the wines from this ancient land, making what was once thought to already be fully understood new and exciting again. Historically, from the 1970's through to the 1990's, the wines from Chassagne were often characterised by richness and oak, before then being plagued by a series of premature oxidation (premox) issues that lasted till the mid-2010's, which gave many of its fans pause despite their love for the wines. With this in mind, PYCM had set out to redefine the region's wines with a greater focus on freshness and minerality, and also taking on painstaking efforts to create reductive wines that could deliver reliably. The result of which has been the cult following that it has created for itself in just a short period of time.

Pierre-Yves and Caroline.

Before PYCM took actual form in 2005, it had already been operating since 2001 as a negociant label housed within Domaine Marc Colin, where Pierre-Yves had taken over the helm of his father's estate to serve as winemaker since 1994. As the story goes Pierre-Yves had purchased himself the first 1,700 bottles worth of fermenting must in order to kickstart his own label at the time. "Working inside a family it’s more difficult to take risks. On your own, the gates are a bit more open," says Pierre-Yves. And so as Pierre-Yves had wanted to pursue styles beyond the family's signature, he would eventually break out on his own in 2005, with his brother Joseph Colin taking over (he would eventually break away to start his own estate as well in 2017), together with their two other siblings (who today run Domaine Marc Colin). Marc Colin would as a result divide the family's 24 hectare estate four ways (for his four children), and as the story goes, would have each of his four children draw their slice of the parcel blind, from out of a hat. With his 6 hectare portion, Pierre-Yves and Caroline would thus set out producing a combination of both domaine and negociant wines, mainly focused on Chardonnay (with just a small parcel of Aligot and Pinot Noir), and over the years steadily accruing more fruit from trusted growers in top parcels who were willing to work to the high degree required by the pair (Pierre-Yves is known to determine picking dates for even parcels that he does not own or farm). By 2014, Caroline's father Jean-Marc Morey would too retire, with Caroline receiving some 3.5 hectares of vines (which would later fully expand to 7 hectares from further acquisitions), which gave PYCM its full form of 13 hectares (with 4 more hectares rented) and also allowed for Caroline to further establish her own Caroline Morey label. 

Together their domaine stretches Premier Cru parcels in Chassagne-Montrachet, Saint-Aubin, Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet and Santenay (92% Chardonnay, 5% Pinot Noir and 3% Aligote), all predominantly of old vines, with also rented vineyards in Grand Cru areas of Corton-Charlemagne, Chevalier-Montrachet, Bâtard-Montrachet and Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet, which Pierre-Yves explains that "the idea is first to find interesting terroir and only second to fully exploit it". Notably there is no differentiation on their labels between domaine and negociant wines (about 1/3 comes from negoce), with Pierre-Yves expressing, "I’ve never had a first and second division labelling – négoce or domaine there has never been a difference in how I’ve worked or the standards I’ve set for the grapes at harvest." With this palette, PYCM produces wines at every level of the Burgundian classification, from Bourgogne to village, and of course Premier and Grand Cru.

The joint PYCM and Caroline Morey winery.

Today, the couple continue to share a winery and a vineyard team, whilst making their wines separately, with Pierre-Yves keeping a closer eye on the whites, whilst Caroline has a bigger hand on the reds (about 35% of her domaine is Pinot Noir), having already had much experience producing Pinot Noir under her father's name, and by Pierre-Yves' own admission Caroline having more of a magic touch with it. They're also joined by their two sons, Mathis and Clement, who both have accrued substantial apprenticeships before coming back to the family's domaine, having trained at Jean-Louis Chave in the Rhone, Domaine Tempier in Bandol and Domaine Dujac in Morey-Saint-Denis, Burgundy.

And so within just a short span of two decades, PYCM has made itself amongst the most sought after and highly lauded wines coming out of Burgundy, a feat considering that many names of equivalent stature typically only enjoy such recognition from decades, if not generations, of accumulation. Yet, the reality of the matter as Pierre-Yves would attest to, is that there isn't a single magic ingredient, and by extension no vintage is ever guaranteed. Instead, everything that PYCM is and has been is the cumulation of a near infinite number of successive good choices, tweaks and refinements that comes as a result of meticulous attention to the littlest of details coupled with exactingly high standards for what meets the mark. "I do things the old-fashioned way, which always takes more time," says Pierre-Yves, who continues on to say, "Every year, I’m always apprehensive when I present my wines to my clients,... but this winery offers us so much tranquility and wisdom".

In the vineyards, there's little fuss, with just as little to espouse beyond the use of organic farming practices and a strong emphasis on vine health. As much of PYCM's vines are old, with substantial parcels over 50 years of age, the vines naturally produce low yields, which whilst coming at a financial expense, offers fruit that is more concentrated and robust, with root systems more sturdy against the threat of droughts. Beyond simply focusing on vine health, Pierre-Yves' goal then is to pick his fruit at the point of balancing freshness with maturity, yet given the increasingly volatile climatic conditions, harvest typically takes place in accordance to acidity, even as Pierre-Yves' has often stated that he would prefer to allow the fruit to hang longer and achieve greater body, saying that he "wants tension but not anorexia".

Once in the winery - as neither Pierre-Yves nor Caroline had inherited a cellar, which for better or worse allowed them the ability to build their own to their specifications, they would therefore opt for a substantially colder cellar in Chassagne which helps with preserving freshness - the fruit is whole bunch pressed (at higher pressure and very slowly and gently) and directly (gravity fed) barrel fermented in 350L demi-muid barrels (30% new oak) with native yeasts, which Pierre-Yves believes supports freshness and energy in the wines. His preference is to keep much of the lees yet taking a care not to disrupt it (minimal settling), with then an extended elevage in barrel that also includes slow and longer malolactic conversion (dispensing with his the traditional practice of heating the cellars to encourage malolactic fermentation), which serves to not only bring forward terroir expression, but to also actively protect against premature oxidation. From there the wines are allowed to rest on the lees for anywhere from 16 to 24 months (two winters) in barrel, with little to no batonnage, once again in order to allow the wine's terroir to express itself. Without fining or filtering, the wines are then bottled using extra-long and extra-wide natural corks (without peroxide treatment) with also a wax seal to once again protect against premature oxidation.

Much of PYCM's recipe may seem even ordinary and standard, with little in the way of anything revolutionary, yet the wines produced have been nothing short of spectacular, once again underscoring the sheer value of simply being close to the vineyards, paying meticulous attention to detail and ensuring that little, everyday decisions are well made leveraging the depth of intuition that can only come from decades of experience and focus on a singular region. That all which is safe to say, easier said than done, requiring Pierre-Yves and Caroline to be always be fully engaged throughout the process, and yet yields some astronomical results.

"There are people who want to buy vineyards, or even just a piece of them,... Now some people will do anything to buy wine. It makes me dizzy. I put a lot of work into my clients, which might sound pretentious. But I want them to drink the wine, not just trade it." says Pierre-Yves.

With that said, let's put Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey (PYCM)'s Chassagne Montrachet La Maltroie Premier Cru to the taste test! Let's go!

Wine Review: Pierre Yves Colin Morey (PYCM) Chassagne Montrachet La Maltroie Premier Cru

100% Chardonnay, from the Ez Crets sector of La Maltroie, clay and limestone soils. Whole bunch pressed and barrel fermented with native yeasts, maturation for 18 months on the lees in large oak barrels (1/3 new oak), no batonnage, no filtration.

This is the 2022 vintage.

Tasting Notes

Colour: Straw

Aroma: It opens almost ethereal, with bounties of floral blossoms, a tad leafy, with bouquets of elderflowers and lime leaves, just a touch of green bellpepper, coaxed with candied honey. Beneath is a floor of vanilla cream, alittle floury yet lifted, with some doughiness to it. The exotic fruits are delicate and high toned in its perfume, with vine peaches, passionfruits, mangosteens and lychees, rendered with an evocative dusty mustiness of storehouses holding bags of freshly harvested fruit. There's also a sprinkle of curry spices and alittle bit of animal hide that adds to the rusticity and rawness.

Taste: Medium-bodied here, rounded and lush, with a candied quality. A melange of stone fruits and tropical fruits of apricots, peaches and pineapples, with here just a touch of vanilla cream. There's a waxiness to the body, with still those lime leaves to give an almost oriental quality. A crack of black pepper, backed up by baked apples and pears, as well as bouquets of apple blossoms. The acidity here is bright and fresh but gentle.

Finish: More doughy and candied here, drizzles of spun sugar, with still those lime leaves garnishing fruits of peaches, pineapples, and passionfruit. It's firm and concentrated, working through a seamless finish. Lime leaves linger on.

My Thoughts

Thoroughly captivating with such an impressive richness, complexity and expansiveness! This was decanted and kept cool for some time before being served, and so much of that hallmark PYCM reductiveness has faded off, whilst at the same time it's opened up superbly and gained body. Already on the nose it was enchanting from the get go, with this combination of oriental fragrances that laid upon a beguilingly leesy base with swaths of exotic fruits. The body was rounded and lush, perhaps alittle bit riper here, enveloped in a candied quality carrying at its core all these stone and tropical fruits, with again that beautiful greenness of lime leaves, beneath which was even a bed of baked orchard fruits. It comes through in layers, each luscious yet precise, detailed and concentrated, with every flavour note so well defined and perfectly outlined. The finish was conveyed as a convergence of everything the body offered, wrapped up and more closely knitted, supple and at the same time crystalline and vibrant, before receding into a seamless finish, leaving behind just an exotic air of perfumed lime leaves.

This really demonstrated the finesse and elegance of PYCM's work, delivering that purity and refinement, it's at once delicate and yet lusciously bountiful and generous. Certainly a riper expression, with the minerality perhaps not so evident, yet still maintaining a shimmery acidity that provides for a graceful lift.

Kanpai!

@111hotpot