2022 Domaine Marc Morey Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru "Vergers"

The 2022 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Vergers is lovely, wafting from the glass with a youthfully reductive bouquet of citrus oil, pear, crushed mint and white flowers, followed by a medium to full-bodied, satiny palate that's taut and racy, concluding with a long, penetrating finish. I've wanted to visit Domaine Marc Morey for several years, as this discreet Chassagne-Montrachet has long produced excellent wines that fly somewhat under the radar. Its origins go back to great-grandfather Fernand Morey, whose whites and reds I've adored and who presided over winemaking between 1919 and around 1950. The eponymous Marc Morey was his son, who ran the domaine for the second half of the twentieth century. Today, it's Sabine Mollard who presides, having joined the family estate in 2003. Fruit is gently crushed and pressed pneumatically, with a short and comparatively static cycle, followed by debourbage overnight at 12 degrees centigrade and the beginning of alcoholic fermentation in tank before barreling down. Working with a wide variety of coopers (including Chassin and François Frères), Sabine stirs the lees until the end of malolactic fermentation. Regional appellations see nine months in barrel, with the rest racked to tank just before harvest and bottled, under natural cork, in early spring.(WK)