Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey became a star for all kinds of reasons.

Partly, it was because he was an early master of a style of white Burgundy that has now become very popular: less oaky (thanks in... Read More

Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey became a star for all kinds of reasons.

Partly, it was because he was an early master of a style of white Burgundy that has now become very popular: less oaky (thanks in part to larger barrels), no lees-stirring, earlier picked, a bit more reductive. The aim is not to make the fat wines that were still popular when he was starting out, but rather expressive wines that were chiseled and precise. His wines do all of this so well that he persuaded the rest of us to go along for the ride.

He also became a star because of critical acclaim, and it was the right kind of critical acclaim for the moment. Way back in 2008 Jancis Robinson wrote up PYCM and headlined it: “Making Chassagne more like Riesling”, capturing the style of these wines perfectly. Only Jancis could make a star of Klaus-Peter Keller by comparing his Rieslings to white Burgundy and a star of PYCM by comparing his white Burgundies to Riesling!

But we think he also became a star for a reason that some may overlook: he has long been a champion of Burgundy’s so-called lesser terroirs, and he has been able to make from them incredible wines that can reach a larger audience.