Alice and Olivier de Moor – Introduction
Alice and Olivier de Moor are well known for their pure, natural wines that they craft from small plots in Chablis, Chitry and the little known Saint Bris appellation. Their wines are highly sought-after in Paris and New York so we were delighted when they agreed to release some of their dwindling supplies for Australia.
They have been tending their organic vines near their village of Courgis for over thirty years now. Courgis lies north west of Dijon so it is quite a cold area leading to low yields from the vines. Both Alice and Olivier share the winemaking as they work together to craft these stunning wines.
It is also quite close to Chablis and shares some of the same Kimmeridgean limestone that makes Chablis so desirable for growing Chardonnay.
All the grapes are picked by hand and only natural yeasts are used to ferment the wines which are matured in foudre and oak barrels that are typically one to four years old to ensure that the oak flavours do not dominate the fruit.
These wines sell out very quickly. We only get a limited allocation so there is a “de Moor season” where you are able to buy their wines. But the season is short!
And just a note about Le Vendangeur Masqué on some of the labels. Over the past three or four years Alice and Olivier have been hit by frosts and hail on a number of occasions which has severely affected their harvests. They have therefore been forced to buy grapes from friends in the south so they have enough wine to survive.
The grapes they buy always come from friends who grow the grapes organically and biodynamically and they apply their well-known winemaking skills to these grapes. However, in France if you buy grapes from other producers you must do it through a different company – hence the different name!
And by the way! The lovely art work on the labels is drawn by Olivier himself. Very talented!
These wines are very popular and are only sold by allocation. If you would like to be on the list, then send us an email asking to be added to the allocation list, but be aware that in years where the frosts are bad our allocation from France is quite low.
Alice and Olivier de Moor – The Wines
Alice and Olivier de Moor Chablis 1er Cru Vau de Vey 2018
This stunning wine is from a relatively new vineyard for Alice and Olivier in a Premier Cru lieu dit in Chablis which they took purchased in 2016 and converted to organic viticulture. It is a steep vineyard with marne soils.
One important feature of the way Alice and Olivier make their wines is that they always allow their wines to “settle” in tanks so that the vast majority of the sediment is deposited at the bottom of the tank. By carefully using gravity to siphon off the wine this ensures that their wine is almost crystal clear in the bottle.
The wine is transferred to tank after maturing in wooden vessels – in the case of this wine it was matured in foudre (two thirds) and barrels (one third).
We don’t often add our impressions of aromas (particularly) or taste sensations because brain research has shown that these are both highly individual (this smells like <insert favourite aroma here, often involves a grandmother> ) or highly subject to suggestion by others.
However, with this wine we seem to have common agreement with various colleagues that there are aromas of stone fruits and white flowers with flavours that tend more towards the mildly acidic with lemon, lime and unripe apples showing through.
There is only a small quantity of this wine available, so if you want to be on the list for future allocations make sure you let us know when you receive the newsletter which describes which wines are coming soon.
Biodynamic and natural
RRP: SOLD OUT
Alice and Olivier De Moor Chablis 1er Cru Mont de Milieu 2017
Another Premier Cru wine from Alice and Olivier, this time from a leased vineyard (the leasing rules are much tighter in France than Australia) near the village of Fleys in Chablis which they took over in 2016. The 80 year old vines had previously been converted to organic viticulture.
The arrangement they have with the owner is that Olivier does all the vineyard work and takes three quarters of the harvest from this reasonable size (in Chablis terms) plot.
Like the Vau de Vey vineyard this one is also quite steep but the vines are planted closer together so it is not possible to use a tractor between the vines. Olivier therefore does all of the vine work using a horse instead.
The grapes are harvested by hand, pressed and the juice transferred to small barrels for natural fermentation and maturation.
The result is a complex and enticing wine of complexity and charm!
Biodynamic and natural
RRP: SOLD OUT
Alice and Olivier de Moor Chablis Clardys 2015
This is a flinty, minerally, highly-textured Chardonnay from their vineyard called Clardys which lies in the famous Chablis appellation. The wine benefits from the limestone in which the vines thrive. The Clardys sits alongside the Rosettes as one of the de Moor’s top wines.
Biodynamic and natural
RRP: SOLD OUT
Alice and Olivier de Moor Chablis ‘l’Humeur du Temps’ 2019
Like the Bel-Air et Clardys, this is a flinty, minerally, highly-textured Chardonnay from another of their vineyards which lie in the famous Chablis appellation. The vineyard is about 1 hectare.
For this vintage there were very few grapes picked from the l’Humeur du Temps vineyard so they have added some grapes from the Bel-Air vineyard that would normally go into the Bel-Air et Clardys.
The wine benefits from the limestone in which the vines thrive. This wine has all the characteristics that you expect of a good Chablis – it is flinty, elegant, energetic and very persistent.
It also exhibits a lovely mouth feel and texture. We like this wine a lot – it is made with love and care by Alice and Olivier in their winery near their house in Courgis.
Note that the label above is from a different vintage even though it is similar to the label for the current vintage. The issue is that we receive such a small allocation that they are all snapped up.
Biodynamic and natural
RRP: SOLD OUT
Alice and Olivier de Moor Sans-Bruit 2021
Saint-Bris is a relatively small and relatively unknown recent appellation (created in 2001) in the Burgundy area covering the communes of Chitry, Irancy, Quenne, Saint-Bris-le-Vineux and Vincelottes.
It is notable because the vast majority of white wines in Burgundy are made from Chardonnay with some being made from Aligoté, however this appellation permits only the use of Sauvignon Blanc and Sauvignon Gris, both of which are in this wine Sauvignon Blanc 85%, Sauvignon Gris 15%).
The de Moors have a vineyard within the Saint Bris boundaries and make this richly-textured Sauvignon Blanc that is highly regarded by aficionados of this grape variety. It is a very rare wine and highly sought after. We only have a very small allocation.
From a 0.4-hectare, north-facing plot planted in 1950 on clay-limestone marl over hard limestone.
This vintage, however, the de Moor’s have not been able to use the appellation because the appellation rules require that the wine has 4 grams or less of residual sugar.
They gave it a name where they remain “silent” about the origin! “Sans Bruit” in French translates to “silently” in English.
Biodynamic and natural
RRP: SOLD OUT
Alice and Olivier de Moor Bourgogne Chitry 2021
Chitry is a white wine appellation that lies adjacent to the Chablis appellation and shares with it the wonderful limestone terroir.
Those in the know snap up this wine as it has all the characteristics of a Chablis but at a lower price. It is a pure Chardonnay and is classified as a Burgundy Village wine (the village being Chitry). The 2018 is a particular good vintage in Chitry even though the season was fairly difficult.
Biodynamic and natural
RRP: SOLD OUT
Alice and Olivier de Moor Bourgogne Aligoté 2019
The 2019 was a quite a good year except the weather was fickle and it rained a lot and there were frequent hailstorms. But apart from that everything was fine!
Aligoté is the second white grape of Burgundy and wine made from this grape is popular locally but not seen much outside of France. In the right hands it can be a wonderful wine and this one certainly is.
We‘ve long been fans of this grape and this wine has been receiving accolades on both sides of the Atlantic.
The de Moor Bourgogne Aligoté is grown in Chitry which is quite close to their winery in Courgis. In 2019, they picked the grapes and then direct pressed them and transferred the juice to 50% old oak barrels and the rest to tanks made of fibreglass which are very popular in France. The juice fermented on natural yeasts and then matured in these vessels for about twelve months.
If you haven’t tried Aligoté before then this is a must. It is a delicious, clean wine with good acidity and great minerality.
Biodynamic and natural
RRP: SOLD OUT
Alice and Olivier de Moor Chablis Coteau de Rosette 2017
The Coteau de Rosette was one of the first plots that Alice and Olivier bought, nearly thirty years ago. The vineyard is actually within the commune boundary of their home village of Courgis which shares the same limestone soils as the rest of the Chablis appellation.
It takes but a short drive from their winery to reach this beautiful vineyard.
This is a fine, flinty wine with fine structure, incredible depth of flavour and a long, lingering finish. It was aged in old wooden barrels for a year and then bottled without fining or filtering.
This year the wine will have a slightly different name of “Clardys and Rosette” because the low yields means that there was not enough grapes to make a wine just from the Rosette vineyard and therefore they have combined the Rosette grapes with those from the Clardys vineyard.
There will only be a tiny allocation of this wine.
Biodynamic and natural
RRP: SOLD OUT
Le Vendangeur Masqué Caravan 2019
We always look forward to the arrival of Alice and Olivier’s Caravan each year although we are very mindful that the reason they need to create this wine is because of the ravages of the frost in their vineyards.
Each year now they seem to need to travel the length and breadth of France collecting grapes from friends to make a wine to see them through the coming year.
The extraordinary thing about the wines they make, however, is that no matter what grapes they but and where they are from, the wine ends up tasting like a signature De Moor wine! Every year the grape varieties and the percentage used are different.
This wine is made from purchased grapes and, as with everything they make, it is a sensational wine.
They have sourced a variety of grapes from around France and made a wine from Riesling (40%) from Alsace, Sauvignon Blanc (40%) and Chardonnay (10%) from the nearby Yonne départment and Aligoté (10%) from their own vineyards. The alcohol level is a pleasant 12.5%.
The result is a fresh and lively wine with a lovely perfume which is perfect as an aperitif.
Biodynamic and natural
RRP: SOLD OUT
Alice and Olivier de Moor Bourgogne Aligoté “Plantation 1902” 2019
The de Moor Aligoté is a beautiful drink and the Plantation 1902 is a stunning drink! This wine is made from very old vines – vines that are unusual because they pre-date the ravages of phylloxera.
The vineyard is near the village of Saint-Bris-le-Vineux and covers just half a hectare. The records show that the vineyard was planted in 1902 – hence the name. This is a rare wine showing great elegance and length.
This plot in Saint-Bris qualifies as part of the general Bourgogne Aligoté appellation. We love the Aligoté grape variety and are fortunate to have three producers with interesting plots given over to this variety.
In addition to the plots farmed by the de Moors, Fanny Sabre has a plot planted in the Pommard region planted by her father and Julien and Carole from Sextant also have Aligoté planted on a site near Saint Aubin.
We are very happy that there is a growing awareness of this variety among our customers as we believe that it is just as interesting as Chardonnay and also reflects the terroir in which it is planted.
Biodynamic and natural
RRP: SOLD OUT
Le Vendangeur Masqué AOC Chablis 2019
This wine does not come from fruit picked from the de Moor’s vineyards but from a friend who has vineyards near the town of Courgis in the Chablis and Chablis Premier Cru appellations. These vineyards are tended organically and are currently in conversion to achieve organic certification. They also picked some grapes from a vineyard they are now renting and converting to organic agriculture.
The wine has been made by Olivier and Alice de Moor, however, to their exacting standard.
This is a fine Chablis with lots of fruit showing. It is well-rounded, fresh tasting and has a streak of acidity and a long finish. A lovely wine to enjoy with a meal.
It is a great example of a pure, elegant Chablis at a very reasonable price.
Biodynamic and natural
RRP: SOLD OUT
Le Vendangeur Masqué Vin de France “En si Belle compagnie Méridionale” 2016
This cuvée is made from grapes that they had to buy from friends in the south of France who were not hit by hail and frosts as were the de Moors (again).
But what a lineup of talented winemakers provided grapes to help the de Moors survive? And note that our description below varies slightly from the description on the back label as not all on the contributors appeared there.
Julie Brosselin’s Grenache Blanc from the Languedoc which was vinified in barrels, Gérald Oustric’s Viognier (remember the stunning 1000% Viognier made from these grapes last year) and Chardonnay from the Ardeche which was vinified in barrels and matured in foudre for 5 months, Eric Pfifferling’s Grenache Blanc from the southern Rhone, juice of Clairette by Pierre Pradel which was vinified in barrels and from Emile Hérédia in the Languedoc which was vinified in barrels and foudre, Viognier from Domaine Gramenon which was vinified in barrels and Roussanne from Eric Texier also from the southern Rhone which was pressed and the juice transported to Courgis.
The juice was then transferred to tanks to allow any solids to settle before bottling on the 7th November 2017.
We are delighted with this wine. It is fresh, it is vibrant, it is electric!
RRP: SOLD OUT
Alice and Olivier de Moor Vin de France “D’autres vallées” 2015
This is a wine made from late picked Aligoté grapes (picked in October) from a small parcel (Kimmeridgean limestone) of vines in the Chitry district that shows that Alice and Olivier can do things differently but still turn out fantastic wines.
The winemaking is similar to the other wines made from this grape. The wine is very clear even though it has not been filtered or fined.
There are 9 grams of residual sugar but this is tempered by the piercing acidity typical of the area around Courgis and Chitry.
This wine could be drunk as an aperitif or as an accompaniment to seafood, cheese or even a savoury dessert.
Biodynamic and natural
RRP: SOLD OUT
For those of you who can read French there is a de Moor Web site that has not been updated for a while but does have a section explaining their philosophy which is interesting.
We rarely get to list any of the de Moor wines as they are usually sold out through the allocation process, but if you check our list of available wines here from time to time you might find one or two listed for a short time!
