Burgundy Power Couple

by Westgarth Wines January 11, 2021

It might seem a little bizarre to compare two great winemakers to thoroughbred dogs, but Pierre-Yves Colin and Caroline Morey have the best pedigree a Burgundian could wish for.

On his side, Pierre-Yves is just one descendant of the Colin dynasty of Saint Aubin. Eldest son of the great Marc Colin (whose Domaine is continued by Pierre-Yves’ siblings Damien and Caroline), Pierre worked at his father’s estate from 1994-2005 when he struck out on his own using inherited family vines.

Caroline has no less of a star-studded background: the eldest daughter of winemaker Jean-Marc Morey, and a late scion of the Morey family who have resided in Chassagne-Montrachet since the mid-16th century. Caroline’s grandfather Albert was one of the first winemakers in Chassagne-Montrachet to pioneer domaine bottling and from him Caroline inherited prized sites in Santenay and Chassagne which later formed the backbone of her eponymous domaine in 2014.

Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey boasts plots in appellations from Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Beaune to the great heights of Bâtard and Chevalier Montrachet Grand Crus.

Both Caroline and Pierre-Yves prefer a light touch when it comes to their winemaking approach: using mostly 350L barrels, with no more than 30% new oak used, and no bâtonnage (a technique of stirring settled lees back into wine to extract flavour, aroma and texture) used on Caroline’s whites.

So if those complicated family trees and confusingly-repetitive Christian names haven’t got you completely befuddled, then stay with me as we discuss this power couple’s impressive portfolio of wines.