I understand that these two brothers recently split after working together for some time at their father’s domaine. I’ve read that Alex did most of the work in the cellar and Benoit did most of the work in the vines.
I tried a 2022 Alex Moreau Maltroie last night that was a bit of an eye opener to me, but I am wondering how these two domaines compare now that the brothers have split. Does anyone have any insight into how the wines differ between the two in recent vintages? I have to imagine the style is pretty similar, but they must have split for a reason right? All I know now is that Alex Moreau’s Maltroie is a delicious bottle of wine and represents really good value.
Alex makes great wine. He does make a wonderful Bâtard, but I often love his Ruchottes the most. I stocked up big time on the '24 after tasting it from tank last fall. His most underrated wine is the Cardeuse - such a crushable red. I buy that by the pallet when available.
He and Martine are also great people - very welcoming and fun. Unfortunately the brothers had a nasty break up a few years ago and split up the Domaine holdings and went their separate ways.
Benoit has become more of a cult name - much harder to get and secondary market prices are higher. I haven’t had his wines, but many people I trust say they are fantastic, including the Cardeuse as well.
Alex is one of the most decent and personable vignerons in Burgundy. When we tasted with him, he couldn’t stop pouring wine! His infectious spirit is infectious.
I’ve written before that we met him coming out of the fields at the end of a hot day. His half dozen or so field hands were all laughing and slapping him on the back. It was clear he runs a happy shop. That sunny disposition shows in his honest, open knit wines. They are easy to like. And Chassagne rouge is so undervalued in the grand scheme of things. Alex’s reds are a great play.
I haven’t had the brother’s wines. I kinda feel loyal to Alex in some weird way.
My experience is largely limited to the whites. The Benoit wines to me are maybe a bit leaner/more elegant in style, but the Alex’s wines are still great in their own right (and certainly not too rich). I really think they are equals qualitatively. At the lower levels (e.g., Bourgogne Blanc and maybe villages) I think Alex’s style actually works better. There definitely seems to be more hype around the Benoit wines, but I think that’s due to factors other than quality.
Visited Benoît a little less than a year ago. I’m not the biggest fan of the entry-level whites, but the single-vineyard bottlings are simply amazing and love the reds from the basic-level bottling up.
Reminds me of the Jasper Morris episode of the I’ll drink to that podcast. He comments on his slight sadness over white burgundy producers having become often so elegance obsessed that they’ve perhaps at times drifted away a bit from the character of Chardonnay, which is a fairly muscular white grape. I’m paraphrasing, but that’s the general sentiment.
I’m all for a balanced white burgundy with power! That’s not to say that elegance is a bad thing, of course it isn’t.
I personally prefer Benoit’s wines to Alex’s. I don’t know them personally so can only speak to the wines themselves. Benoit’s are lean and elegant, with a real lightness and deftness of touch, but still carry enough weight to effortlessly balance out (at least from the village Chassagne and up). Alex’s are significantly richer and, to me, less complex for it. They are heftier wines with more punch (though not as much as the most heavy-handed of producers), but also somewhat more clumsy at times, and often shorter. I have tried bottles from them side-by-side about half a dozen times (from bb and village level, through to Grandes Ruchottes) and Benoit’s wines have always been better, apart from the 23 BB. I used to buy the Bernard Moreau wines but since the split I have only bought Benoit’s.
I like both and I buy both if I can. These are early days for Benoit’s wines (2021 first real vintage), but they seem as young wines more suble, detailed, than Alex’ wines. But this is splitting hairs, as well as operating in unknown territory. I just had a superb and detailed 2018 Bernard Moreau 1er cru Morgeot that surprised me. Timing of drinking the wine is also important.
I like both but to me it seems like wine makers and geeks likes Benoit more while wine importers seems to mostly be selling Alex. I think when they were under Bernard, Benoit tended the vineyards and Alex was making the wine. Agree with everything else that people said here.
Only contrib to the thread I can make is a recent taste of Alex’ Chassagne Villages: FWIW
2021 Alex Moreau Chassagne
Had only about 30 minutes or so of air, so let it purposely sit in the glass for a bit. I’ve had Bernard Moreau, but never this scion of the family. Michael W and I agree on our views on wine as a whole–there’s white burgundy, and then there’s everything else This is also a subtle and mostly gentle creature. I did get some wintergreen and/or very light spearmint right at the back of the throat, but the round pear and apple fruit eventually does take stage. Very light use of oak here, it’s a delightful, if not super-deep, expression. Very fine indeed for a villages, WOTN by just a bit. Thanks Michael for choosing this one off the list
Thanks everyone, seems like the moral of the story is that both make great wine and Alex Moreau is the nicest guy ever I’ll have to try to taste with him when I make it over to burgundy in a few years. In the meantime, I’ll settle for stocking up on his wines
The two times I have visited there his wife and not Alex have given us the tour/tasting. The wines each time were fabulous and I loved the differences between his wines.
And, I agree about his reds (even his Volnay, which I have not had there but have in my cellar). Most of my Chassagne Rouges are either from Moreau or Ramonet.
This is also a subtle and mostly gentle creature. I did get some wintergreen and/or very light spearmint right at the back of the throat, but the round pear and apple fruit eventually does take stage. Very light use of oak here, it’s a delightful, if not super-deep, expression. Very fine indeed for a villages, WOTN by just a bit. Thanks Michael for choosing this one off the list