2022 Benoit Moreau - Chassagne Montrachet Fairendes (750ml) [PRE ARRIVAL]

Benoît Moreau split from his family's Domaine Bernard Moreau in 2021, taking his share of vineyards, about four hectares in all, into a brand-new cellar in Chassagne-Montrachet. He had worked alongside his brother Alexandre at the family estate since 2002, and now farms his own holdings biodynamically, applying the traditional tressage method of training and braiding the vine canopy by hand.

Les Fairendes lies within the Morgeot climat, on the most limestone-rich part of that large premier cru, according to Benoît himself. The site's lean, chalky soils give the wine a more direct, citrus-driven character than richer, more muscular Morgeot bottlings. Grapes are hand-harvested and fermented with native yeasts, then aged in barrel for around eighteen months with a modest proportion of new oak.

The 2022 is direct and citrus-driven, with a fluid, melting texture on the palate that Benoît himself has called one of his favorites from the vintage. It may not be the most powerful or complex wine in his range, but it has an ease and precision that make it immediately appealing. Give it a little time in the cellar and it should continue to gain depth and definition.