Nicolas Morin Monthelie Les Toisieres 2017

Nicolas Morin is an outsider in Burgundy, having left a career as a barrel maker in Champagne to set up his micro-négociant business out of immaculate premises in Nuits-Saint-Georges.  Nicolas still makes his own barrels and unsurprisingly his wines are a true reflection of this solid work-ethic and resolute independence.  Nicolas now buys grapes from organic farmers up and down the Côte d'Or to make a range of drinkable, terroir-focussed wines that are part of the new wave redefining Burgundy. 

Working hard with his growers to ensure that farming is sustainable and the work in the vineyard done by hand wherever possible, Nicolas controls picking dates which means grapes are at perfect maturity.  

There is no dogmatic approach to destemming so depending on ripeness, a proportion of whole-clusters make it into the vat where he makes skilled use of gentle semi-carbonic maceration. Racking or gentle foot-treading only to minimise the extraction of unwanted tannins, which means he can use as little sulphur as possible. 

Being a former cooper, Nicolas uses his own barrels with care which he uses to promote texture and smarten the wines’ profile without any noticeable oak flavours.  These are post-modern expressions of Burgundy.  Sensitively extracted, fruit-focussed and immediate, but complex and ageworthy.  Unfined, unfiltered and with minimal sulphur.