Exploring Bourgogne (3) Olivier Morin, Chitry
Domaine Olivier Morin
2 chemin du Vaudu – 89530 Chitry-le-Fort
Tel. +33 (0)3 86 41 47 20
https://olivier-morin.fr
Olivier Morin is one of the star winegrowers in Chitry, an appellation next door to Chablis on the way to Auxerre. Soils here are very similar to Chablis (Kimmeridgean limestone), and Morin works with Chardonnay, Aligoté and Pinot Noir. Olivier began his career as a musician before returning to the family business in 1992.
Olivier and Nelly are the fifth generation here, and he says the domaine stretches back to 1672, and maybe earlier. Altogether there are 200 hectares of vines in Chitry, so it is tiny: he has 14. Their son is currently studying in Beaune and is set to return when he finishes.
Aligoté is a big focus. He works with Aligoté Dorée, the golden Aligote, with smaller berries and a deeper colour when it is ripe. Regular Aligoté is famed for its good yields, but it’s not so easy to ripen. Historically, Chitry is important for Aligoté, says Olivier. It’s the best place for the variety. Chardonnay came a long later, and now both are of equal importance in the region.
This is the north of Bourgogne, and Aligoté here is different. The wines from the north are much more vivid; in the south they are riper and sweeter. ‘We can’t make Aligoté like in the south,’ he says. It’s the same as the difference in Chardonnay from Chablis versus Meursault.
‘Maybe Aligoté could be the solution for climate change?’ he says. ‘Maybe it will be possible to blend Chardonnay with Aligoté to make it fresher.’ He thinks it can age, but probably not as well as Chardonnay.
THE WINES
Olivier Morin Bourgogne Aligoté 2022 France
50 year old vines, Aligoté Dorée. Concentrated and dense with sweet pear, cherry and citrus fruit. Nice depth of flavour, showing stony mineral notes. Very expressive and fine with great precision. 93/100
Olivier Morin Bourgogne Aligoté 2021 France
Wet stone on the nose with a nice citrus core and some pear and green apple notes. This was (unusually for Olivier) made in oak because of the vintage. Linear with keen acidity and nice precision, showing texture as well as focus. 91/100
Olivier Morin Bourgogne Aligoté 2020 France
Warm summer. Nice weight and texture here with sweet citrus fruit and some stony detail. Nice weight and good acidity. Linear, fresh and fruit driven with a crystalline finish. 91/100
Olivier Morin Bourgogne Aligoté 2018 France
Good complexity with a stony edge to the ripe citrus and pear fruit, with a hint of apple. Subtle nutty notes. Lovely fruit with a bit of development. 90/100
Olivier Morin Bourgogne Chitry Blanc Olympe 2017 France
This is a selection of four plots. Detailed and mineral with a stony edge to the appealing fruit. Lemons, pears and a hint of green apple, together with a touch of oyster shell and iodine. 92/100
Olivier Morin Bourgogne Chitry Blanc Olympe 2018 France
This is mineral, linear and has a stony edge to the fine citrus fruit. Mineral and expressive with lovely weight and some saline notes. Has flesh but also precision, showing good balance. 93/100
Olivier Morin Bourgogne Chitry Blanc Olympe 2022 France (tank sample)
This is from a stainless steel barrel and represents part of the blend. Mineral and taut but also showing some fleshy peach fruit. Nice textured here with a saline twist. 91-93/100
Olivier Morin Bourgogne Chitry Rouge Vau de Puits 2019 France
From a south-facing slope replanted in 1990. Lovely concentration and harmony here with textured cherry fruit with some plum. Has a chalky, mineral character and a stony edge. Fine, open and elegant with texture and minerality. 94/100
UK agent: Uncharted Wines
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