Domaine Marc-Antonin Blain Chassagne-Montrachet 1er ‘Morgeot’ Rouge 2019

Why is this Wine so Yummy?

About Domaine Marc-Antonin Blain

Marc-Antonin Blain, son of Jean-Marc and Claudine, grew up among the vineyards of Chassagne, but it was the vintages he spent abroad in Australia and New Zealand that inspired his passion for winemaking.

Back in France, under the guidance of his grandfather Jacques Gagnard – an atypical figure in the world of wine – that Marc-Antonin learned about the unique terroir of his native Chassagne-Montrachet. In the vineyard and the cellar, he embraces with the traditions and knowledge passed down through his family.

In 2009 Marc-Antonin established his own estate in the heart of Chassagne. He continues to work with vines that have been in his family since 1683; the vineyard was entrusted to him by his grandfather a year before his passing. Covering 1.16 ha the Domaine is divided amongst four appellations, including Batard-Montrachet. His aim as a vigneron is to respect and preserve his family’s culture.

In the Vineyard

Marc-Antonin practices sustainable viticulture, minimising intervention in the vineyard while protecting and nurturing the vines. Grass is grown between the rows, which promotes microbial life in the soil; these organisms helps the plants find balance within the broader terroir.

In the Winery

The grapes are hand-harvested and transported to the winery to begin their fermentation. The wine is then aged in barrel in the Blain family’s centuries-old cellars before bottling.

The 2019 Vintage at Domaine Marc-Antonin Blain

The winter was mild and dry, setting the stage for drought conditions later in the season. Budbreak came early, and spring was comparatively cool, with April frosts impacting above all Saint-Aubin and lower-lying sites in Chassagne- and Puligny-Montrachet. Flowering began early in June, and it was both protracted and uneven, resulting in significant millerandage (shot berries) and coulure (aborted berries). Combined with the lack of precipitation, that made for low yields and bunches with small, thick-skinned berries. Summer was warm and sunny, with heat waves in June and July compounding with hydric stress to slow ripening. August and early September were cooler and sometimes cloudy, though sunny conditions returned for harvest; but it was a dry north wind, rather than excessive temperatures, that concentrated both sugars and acidities alike in the final weeks before picking began.

Harvest itself was comparatively rapid, with several producers complaining that everything ripened at once. The first to bring in their Chardonnay were getting underway around September 5 or shortly thereafter, and the first Pinot Noir followed hard on its heels […] 2019 was, on paper, a rather extreme vintage, yet the vines proved remarkably resilient—and the wines their grapes produced, remarkably classical in profile. “We are convinced that the vines are adapting to warmer, drier years, and we find this very reassuring,” observed Aubert de Villaine, a sentiment that Burgundy lovers will surely share. 

William Kelley, The Wine Advocate

Where in the World is Domaine Marc-Antonin Blain

Domaine Marc-Antonin Blain is located in Chassagne-Montrachet in the Côte de Beaune.