Domaine Gilles Morat

Gilles Morat took over the family vines in 1997, the first generation to bottle wine under their own name. Based in Vergisson, he and his wife Joëlle craft wines of amazing precision, intensity and tension. The property sits up in the hills above Vergisson, sandwiched between the Roc de Vergisson and the Roc de Solutré, with the lower Mâconnais falling away between – exceptional terroir that no doubt contributes to the pinpoint acidity found in their wines, something not necessarily associated with this part of Burgundy.

No site – or wine – epitomises this more than the outstanding Pouilly-Fuissé La Haut de la Roche, located at 425 metres’ altitude, on a bed of limestone and comically deemed by the authorities too high for inclusion in the Premier Cru section of Sur la Roche. It is clear proof, should it ever be required, of the Mâconnais’s ability to challenge the Côte d’Or on quality.

Now also helped by their son Pierre (who joined them in 2020), Gilles and Joëlle farm seven hectares across Pouilly-Fuissé and Saint-Véran, with the vineyards certified organic from the 2022 vintage. Winemaking tends to be reductive, with as little racking as possible and rarely any bâtonnage (although this does vary according to vintage). They use a combination of stainless steel and oak, depending on the cuvée, but new wood is always used sparingly, with a maximum 10-15% on their Premier Cru Les Crays.

The resulting wines are some of the most consistent in the region, pure and vibrant, with the emphasis on minerality and energy.