2022 Domaine Sylvain Morey, Santenay 1er Cru, Grand Clos Rousseau

One of our favorite discoveries over the past few years is Sylvain Morey. This guy makes remarkable wines in Chassagne in both colors. Sylvain is the son of Jean-Marc Morey. Neal Rosenthal imported the father’s wines for decades and continues to do so now with Sylvain at the helm. As an aside, Sylvain’s sister Caroline married Pierre Yves Colin (Marc Colin’s son), and that is why that Domaine is called Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey. Hard to follow all these inheritance moves but just know that Sylvain’s family has some impressive vineyard holdings and he is doing a remarkable job with them. With temps rising, there should be more Pinot in Chassagne than Chardonnay, but old timers are reluctant to replant. There are some great wines and values to be had in Chassagne Rouge, and Sylvain’s wines are case in point. This is his top red wine, as it was for his father, Jean-Marc Morey.  It thrives and improves in the cellar for decades, featuring rich red fruits, sleek tannins, and an earthy character—stunning juice and clearly an impressive wine from this underappreciated terroir.