Wine Advisor
Denis Mortet, Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru 2010
View analysis
Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2010 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru is all about deep sensuality and plushness in the fruit. Blackberries, blueberries, flowers, licorice and spices are woven together beautifully in this bright, highly expressive Gevrey. The 1er Cru has more than enough stuffing to stand up to the new oak, which is 60-65% in this vintage, lower than it has been in the past. The 1er Cru is made from parcels in Petite Chapelle, Cherbaudes, Bel Air and Champonnets, each of which is too small to bottle separately. Tasted from tank. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2030. Arnaud Mortet is focused on making elegant, refined wines. In 2010 he sought to achieve that through gentle extraction and less use of new oak barrels, which is broadly the direction his winemaking is headed, notwithstanding the many particulars that present themselves each year. Mortet planned to age the 2010s fifteen months in barrel, then rack the wines into steel. Yields are of course down across the board, but that won’t be much of a surprise to readers given the vintage. Overall, the Mortet 2010s are striking for their beauty and transparency. The 2009 also showed brilliantly from bottle. I will report on those wines in the April issue. Importer: Martine’s Wines, Novato, CA; tel. (415) 883-0400
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
(from Petite Chapelle, Cherbaudes, Belair and Chaponnets; 70% new oak, the lowest percentage to date for this cuvee): Bright red. Ripe aromas of red cherry, redcurrant, mocha, flowers and spicy oak, lifted by fresh minerality. Juicy, spicy and expressive, with terrific energy and lift to the flavors of raspberry, flowers and crushed stone. Strong but integrated acidity draws out the finish of this very young wine. Finishes long and savory, with a subtle sweetness. Should be superb with five years in the cellar.
About the Producer
"We chose to invest in plots rather than buying grapes" Denis Mortet's vineyard has always been made up of a multitude of plots. Historically, Charles Mortet started in 1956 with one hectre of vines. Denis Mortet took over in 1992, the estate was made up of 4.5 hectares in the communes of Gevrey Chambertin, Chambolle-Musigny and Vougeot. In 1993, Denis and Laurence, his wife took over a 4 hectare estate including plots of Premier Cru Lavaux Saint-Jacques, village plots located in En Motrot, Au Velle and En Champs and also a plot in Marsannay at a locailty. The Longeroies. In 1997, they bought a plot located in En Combe du Dessus in Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru and in 2000 a few plots including En Deree village and a few Premier Cru plots. Today, Laurence, Arnaud and Clemence operate around a hundred plots on a vineyard stretching from Daix, on the Dijon plateau, to Vougeot.
