Jean-Marc Morey favors traditional vinification methods. He uses only wild yeast. For his white wines, the juice goes straight from the press into barrel for fermentation. With the gentler pneumatic press, he does not need to let the must decant to remove excessive particulate matter before fermentation. After fermentation, the wine rests on its lees and benefits from bâtonnage during its aging. His Pinot Noir is destemmed before going into cement tanks for fermentation and maceration. The red wines are also allowed to age on their lees while undergoing malolactic and further aging in barrel, adding complexity and roundness to the wine. Only about one quarter new oak is used and sometimes less. For Jean-Marc Morey oak is a necessary part of the “elevage” but it is an element that should never overwhelm the fruit or the “terroir”. The white wines are bottled the year immediately prior to the succeeding harvest and the reds spend an additional six months in barrel before being bottled in the late winter/early spring of the 2nd year after harvest.
