Nicolas Morin

Negociant wines are often overlooked in favor of Domaine wines in Burgundy. After all, when we buy fine wines, provenance is an important factor to consider, so when it comes to winemaking, naturally one would want some assurance in knowing how the vineyards were managed, which Domaine wines can provide more of.

Nicolas Morin however is more than just a negociant. Originally from Champagne, the former barrel maker has proven himself to be a very talented winemaker, working with selected organic growers in Burgundy who not only shares the same ethics as he does in the vineyards, but also allows him to manage harvest dates to ensure grapes are harvested at perfect maturity. He works as naturally as possible, ensuring his growers are farming sustainably, and avoids any mechanical pumps in the winery. He mostly works with full bunches depending on the vintage, and sometimes adopts semi-carbonic maceration in his winemaking. To achieve the gentlest extraction, he racks his wines and applies gentle foot treading which helps minimize any harsh tannins in his wines. Sulphur is kept to a bare minimum, less than some of his cult neighbours such as Prieure Roch as he says, and even continues to make his own barrels that he uses to age his wines in. With his first vintage in 2014, this is an exciting newcomer to Burgundy’s natural wine scene. His wines are open, fresh and opulent right from the get go, but have enough structure and ripeness to age well too.

Robert Parker listed Clos des Papes as one of the Top 155 Producers in the World.

"It boasts a cool, fresh nose of strawberries, cola and tree bark, yet it's full-bodied and tannic on the palate."

WA96 by Joe Czerwinski

2017 Clos des Papes • Chateauneuf du Pape

He blends grapes from his different plots to co-ferment in large vats, after which he then re-blends in to large 20-55 hectoliter wooden foudres (casks) to mature for 15 months. New or small barrels are never used, “I like the oak to make an indirect impact – I only want tannins from the grape skins not even the pips and certainly not the stalks” says Avril. And though it may not be widely known, this domaine has been buying corks from the same producer in Portugal ever since 1926!

The wines are no doubt enticing, garnering great praise from many publications and critics such as Wine Spectator who awarded their 2005 vintage as “Wine of the Year”, stating that “in the Southern Rhône's recent trio of great vintages starting with 2003, no other Châteauneuf-du-Pape domaine has produced better wines than Clos des Papes”. But the accolades don’t stop there, as Robert Parker followed on to pronounce the 2007 vintage “the greatest Chateauneuf du Pape made since 1978 and 1990”.

We at Ginsberg+Chan are extremely proud to be the exclusive distributors of Clos des Papes, and with good volumes of both red and white back vintages too, we can ensure you a wide range of drinking windows for your cellar.