2024 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Monthélie 1er Cru Les Riottes

Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey is a Chardonnay house, roughly ninety-two per cent of it, which is exactly why the handful of reds are worth chasing. This one is Mathis Colin's, made with a free hand. Les Riottes is a classified premier cru of Monthélie and appears in the INAO climat table for the appellation, where both colours are permitted, so the words Premier Cru on the label tell you nothing about what is in the bottle.

In 2024 it was fully destemmed, which makes it the odd one out: every other red in the range bar Santenay got between thirty and fifty per cent whole bunch. Gentle extraction, yields around 25hl/ha, and not a stave of new oak on any of the 2024 reds. Ageing in 350 litre barrels, the big format Colin built his name on. A premier cru from a grower most people only know for white, at a price the white would never see.