Only a small number of customers will be proud owners of this sensational two pack from Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey—arguably the top producer of Saint-Aubin, a village touching both Puligny and Chassagne to the west. In his magical hands, these wines make many labels from neighboring big-ticket appellations step back in awe.
Still a relatively “young” domaine, Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey has already skyrocketed to the ranks of Burgundy’s elite and quickly earned a cult status around the world, producing some of the most allocated and in-demand wines on the market. This isn’t Burgundy people simply clamor over—they scrap for the small allocations doled out to the American market and then flaunt them as trophies in private cellars and/or wine lists. We've said Pierre-Yves’ Bourgogne Blanc was a perfect introduction to his impeccable sourcing and craftsmanship, and his Saint-Aubin “Le Banc” is the next tier up: If you’re one of the lucky few to grab this offer, prepare to experience the mineral depth and absolute precision of premier White Burgundy. These are both brilliantly intense wines, with the warmer 2015 vintage providing perfectly rich fruit alongside a deep mineral presence and 2016 showing off the vibrant complexities of a more “classic” vintage. I highly advise you give them the cellar love they deserve because these are built to perform for many years to come. In order to encourage aging, I’m allowing two orders per person, so that further shrinks the number of you that will be lucky enough to own it—maybe read the story after purchasing your share, or else you might miss out!
Domaine Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey is relatively new on the scene, but the lineage is undeniably impressive: Winemaker Pierre-Yves Colin is son of Marc Colin, and his wife, Caroline, is daughter to Jean-Marc Morey (both are highly regarded in the world of Burgundy). Pierre-Yves and Caroline represent modern-day Burgundian royalty and their wines are just as regal. After studying enology in Beaune, Pierre-Yves worked for his father at Domaine Marc Morey from 1994-2005, but he also learned under greats in the Nôrthern Rhone, Languedoc, and Loire Valley before setting up his own shop in 2006. He was able to do so with income generated from he and Caroline’s small négociant business started in 2001. Additionally, Pierre-Yves transferred vineyard holdings given to him by his father to help launch his new label. Since then, everything they’ve touched has turned to gold and critics’ praise has followed.
In the vineyards, Pierre-Yves eschews the use of herbicides and opts to plow manually in an effort to further deepen the root system, which results in concentration and complexity. His “Le Banc” is a mixture of estate-owned vines and sourced fruit from other top growers in the vineyard that also follow sustainable viticulture practices. “Le Banc” is an eastward vineyard facing towards Puligny-Montrachet above the village of Saint-Aubin at elevations that push past 1300 feet. In the winery, juice is pressed into mostly used 350-liter demi-muids (rather than standard 228-liter Burgundy barrels) so as to impart less oak influence on the wine. After fermentation on native yeasts, the wine ages on its lees without bâtonnage (stirring of lees), ensuring a fresh and terroir-driven wine with a touch of reduction—the opposite of oxidation. After 12-18 months in barrel, the final wine is always bottled unfiltered.
Both wines shimmer a brilliant yellow core with flashes of silver and hints of neon green—the 2015 revealing slightly more concentration with some tears that cling to the the glass. You can expect classic PYCM intensity and nervy energy on the nose: After enough air, the ‘15 oozes with pineapple, yellow apples, ripe melon, gunflint, Meyer lemon, candied lime peel, honeysuckle, white flowers, citrus blossoms, crushed chalk, and baking spice that reveal themselves in waves. The ‘16 shows similar notes, but comes in a bit “leaner and meaner” with less tropical fruits and more citrus-driven energy and crushed rock minerality—something we adore here at SommSelect. On the palate, the wines are medium (2016) and medium-plus (2015) bodied with layers of richness that are always balanced by mineral precision. Pure fruits coupled with lifts of salinity perfectly balance the rich and round feel, while ensuing mouth-filling, savory tension creates a lingering finish. These wines will delight you for years to come, showing their peak levels around 2025 and beyond, with the ‘16 potentially outlasting its older brother by a few years. If consuming in the near future, you absolutely MUST decant them for 1-2 hours (they cannot be ‘over-decanted’ at this early stage) before serving around 55-60 degrees in large white Burgundy stems. When you do enjoy “Le Banc”—either one or both—prepare the attached Cantonese lobster recipe, it is epic with white Burgundy. Cheers!
