Can there be a more arresting view for a vigneron than the panorama which greets the Morat family each morning as they throw open the shutters? To the north is the Roc de Vergisson and to the south the equally imposing Roc de Solutre, two massive limestone escarpments which dominate the landscape. On a clear day, 150 miles to the east, Mont Blanc is clearly visible.
Nestling beneath the Roc de Vergisson lie their holdings of Pouilly grown on a mix of limestone and clay soils, which the Morats have carefully maintained under an organic regime since 2001. Essential to the freshness and clarity of expression of their wines is the altitude of between 350m and 450m at which the vines are grown.
In these days of global warming these are qualities to be prized. The 2019 white Burgundy vintage was naturally high in sugar and there is an inherent richness to the Chardonnay throughout the region. This is as far south as I tasted yet at no point did I encounter 2019 white Burgundies which retained better balance and which expressed the diversity of terroirs with such clarity.
Gilles and Joelle Morat have now been joined by their son, Pierre, a qualified oenologist who drove me round their holdings to view their different terroirs, including their vines at the top of ‘Sur la Roche’, the highest vineyard of the Appellation.
This is a pre-shipment offer. We will ship the wines to the UK in early 2021 and will contact you when they arrive to arrange delivery. All wines also available In Bond (IB). Please specify at the time of order.
To order any of the wines in this offer simply drop a line to jack@robertrolls.com and let us know what you would like.
Saint Veran 2019
Beguilingly fragrant nose of white flowers. The palate has good concentration and a ripe peach like texture refreshed with a sense of skin contact from the lees which adds balance and vibrancy. Bottled early in May to retain freshness. Fermentation and elevage are in stainless steel vats to preserve the pure fruit quality of the wine.
Pouilly Fuisse ‘Belemnites’ 2019
An engagingly aromatic nose, more honeysuckle than white flowers this time. The palate is fruit driven, and displays subtle creamy breadth of flavour from 10% new oak. The cuvee ‘Belemnite’, a nod to the fossils embedded in the clay, is sourced from three vineyards dating back to 1956. Old vines equals low yielding fruit which often adds complexity to a wine. The clay soil helped to retain the moisture from the spring rains before the draught set in, adding balance to the final blend.
Pouilly Fuisse ‘Vignes Dessus’ 2019
These vines are grown on the upper reaches of Vergisson on an ancient outcrop of clay dating back to the Triassic period, pre-dating the Jurassic limestone found elsewhere. The magnesium rich clay is resistant to heat and allows the grapes to mature slowly and develop balance. The nose is feminine, refined and discreetly scented. The palate develops a sense of refinement and that ethereal creamy breadth of flavour common to many a fine Chardonnay. This is an utterly seductive wine, immediately engaging but which will also keep.
Pouilly Fuisse ‘Sur la Roche’ 2019
This is the Appellation’s most famous vineyard and has just been accorded 1er Cru status from the 2020 vintage. Morat sources this from two parcels of vines, one of which is from the highest ‘lieu dit’ of the Appellation. It sits on a bedrock of limestone from which the wine sources its minerality, saline tension, and which adds lift to aromatics as varied as lavender and pink grapefruit. It is the most complex wine of their range, and the longest-lived.
To order any of the wines in this offer simply drop a line to jack@robertrolls.com and let us know what you would like.
This is a pre-shipment offer. We will ship the wines to the UK in early 2021 and will contact you when they arrive to arrange delivery. All wines also available In Bond (IB). Please specify at the time of order.