Benoit Moreau

History of Domaine Benoit Moreau

Benoit Moreau is no stranger on the Côte de Beaune. Since 1990, he has worked alongside his father and his elder brother Alexandre at the celebrated Domaine Bernard Moreau & Fils, in Chassagne-Montrachet, where he oversaw vine management and vinification for more than twenty years. After two decades spent shaping the reputation of the family estate, Benoit decided to strike out on his own to push his viticultural standards and his commitment to biodynamics even further.

In November 2020, the official partition of the family vines allowed him to recover approximately 4.2 hectares of his own, comprising a splendid portfolio of Premier Crus in Chassagne-Montrachet and Saint-Aubin. His first vintage, produced during the property transition, was made from grapes purchased from winemaker friends who share his values. In 2021, he also acquired 1.7 hectares in Beaujolais, spread between Beaujolais-Villages, Chiroubles and Morgon, which he vinifies under the L'Arlésienne label. Hailed by William Kelley's Wine Advocate as a rising star in the firmament of Chassagne, his very young house is today one of the most sought-after in Burgundy.

Terroirs and Vines of Domaine Benoit Moreau

The Domaine Benoit Moreau vineyard extends over the mythical hillsides of Chassagne-Montrachet and Saint-Aubin, in the very heart of the Côte de Beaune. The soils, subtle blends of clays, marls and fissured limestone, offer Chardonnay and Pinot Noir a palette of expressions of rare diversity. Each plot is read as a singular lieu-dit: the rich clays of Les Champs Gain, the outcropping limestone of En Remilly, the marly-limestone of La Maltroie or La Cardeuse, the fine sands of Saint-Aubin. The estate also includes a Beaujolais island on granite, planted with Gamay.

The management of the vines follows a rigorous biodynamic approach, currently undergoing certification. Benoit Moreau avoids soil compaction by using small tracked vehicles, works the majority of his Premier Crus by hand, practises vine braiding (in place of topping) to avoid vine stress, and maintains cover crops to preserve the biological life of the terroirs. Gentle pruning, patient observation and respect for the rhythm of the plant are the pillars of his philosophy. The result can be read in perfectly ripe, well-balanced grapes bearing an incomparable mineral signature.

Vinifications of Domaine Benoit Moreau

In the cellar, Benoit Moreau extends his vineyard work through a vinification of great purity. Harvesting is done by hand. For the whites, the grapes are sometimes lightly crushed before a slow pressing, in order to gently release the juices. Fermentations start naturally thanks to indigenous yeasts, without oenological inputs or technical corrections. The ageing, long and patient, extends from sixteen to eighteen months, alternating traditional Burgundian pieces and larger demi-muids, with a very measured proportion of new wood (only 10% for the Chassagne village).

For the red wines of Chassagne-Montrachet and the L'Arlésienne wines, Benoit practises at least a partial whole-cluster vinification, with indigenous yeasts, in stainless steel tanks, amphora jars or demi-muids, depending on the profile sought. The generic Bourgognes receive the same care as the Premier Crus, with sixteen months of ageing (one year in barrels, then a few months in tanks to regain tension and perfect the balance). This pursuit of authenticity, founded on a devotion to precise ripeness and unhurried time, produces wines of exceptional textural finesse, energetic and built for ageing.

The cuvées of Domaine Benoit Moreau

The Bourgogne Côte d'Or Chardonnay is a surprisingly impressive entry-level wine, sourced exclusively from the Chassagne-Montrachet finages. Aged sixteen months like the Premier Crus, it offers a juicy substance with notes of pear, apple, apricot and pastries, supported by a fine tannic structure derived from the soil and a tapered finish of remarkable persistence.

The Bourgogne Côte d'Or Pinot Noir delicately expresses the lower slopes of Chassagne. Partially vinified with whole clusters, it reveals a pure and vibrant fruit, a silky texture and an elegant mineral backbone, making it an author's Burgundian Pinot Noir, well above its appellation.

The Chassagne-Montrachet Village Blanc is the archetypal expression of the appellation at Benoit Moreau. An assemblage of around eight small complementary plots (Puligny limestone and Chassagne clays), it shines with its luminous aromatic palette (summer fruits, almond, lime, white flowers, spices) and a refined palate reaching towards an impressive saline finish.

The Chassagne-Montrachet Vieilles Vignes Rouge is sourced from an ancestral plot of the family estate. A Pinot Noir vinified with whole clusters and aged in barrels, it unfolds a deep fruit, a velvety texture and fine tannins, in a noble and harmonious expression of Chassagne Pinot Noir.

The Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Chenevottes expresses the freshness and tension characteristic of the upper part of the village. A precise and finely chiselled Chardonnay, with aromas of citrus, white flowers and flint, it offers a taut mineral palate and a saline finish of great purity.

The Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru En Remilly is a limestone hillside climat, on the border of Saint-Aubin and Chassagne, which here yields a luminous and vertical wine. Tension, salinity and notes of white citrus dominate this age-worthy white, of great aromatic elegance.

The Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru La Maltroie is an emblematic Premier Cru, planted on marly-limestone soils with red clays. The wine is ample and deep, with great substance, marked by complex aromas of ripe yellow fruits, toasted hazelnut and spices, with a carefully integrated ageing.

The Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru La Cardeuse Blanc is the jewel and monopole of the estate. Sourced from an island of Chardonnay planted by Benoit's grandfather in 1960 on a limestone vein, within a clos historically devoted to Pinot Noir, it vibrates with an incandescent minerality that nods towards Meursault-Perrières. Aged sixteen months in used barrels, it is extremely rare, exceptional and already legendary.

The Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru La Cardeuse Rouge completes the monopole with Pinot Noir. Sourced from the same clos, it combines dense fruit, a mineral structure and finely woven tannins, offering a rare and very high-class red expression within an appellation renowned for its whites.

The Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Champs Gain is crafted from seventy-year-old vines planted on clay-rich soils. The wine offers exceptional tension, a minerality of great finesse and a medium-bodied, ample and satiny palate, with aromas of pear, citrus wax and white flowers.

The Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Fairendes expresses the aromatic grace characteristic of the hillsides of the southern part of the appellation. A fine and taut palate, aromatic with fresh white fruits and flowers, in a register of verticality and precision that is particularly appealing.

The Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Grandes Ruchottes is one of the pinnacles of the range. From a highly calcareous climat producing high-energy Chardonnays, this wine combines substance, salinity, depth and great ageing potential, in a stupendous stature acclaimed by the international press.

The Chassagne-Montrachet Les Charrières is a village lieu-dit, a finely textured and fresh white that expresses the purity of Chardonnay on a terroir with well-defined contours, with a fine energy on the palate and a digestible finish.

The Chassagne-Montrachet Les Fairendes in its village version completes the range with a finely chiselled, light expression, with floral notes and white fruits, supported by an elegant freshness characteristic of the house style.