Denis Mortet Grand Cru ‘Chambertin’ 2017

Why is this Wine so Yummy?

“Arnaud Mortet is making better wines than ever… As in the previous three vintages, I am deeply impressed by the potential of Mortet’s wines. There is a brightness and sense of energy in nearly every cuvée, demonstrating clever use of both whole bunch and new oak that allows each vineyard to express its own character. 2017 is another exemplary set from what is fast becoming one of the appellation’s most respected winemakers.” Neal Martin, Vinous 

“The wines are undeniably lovely, with the flesh and charm to drink well in their youth but the concentration and satiny structure to age. They’re also impressively consistent. If Mortet can sustain the viticultural attention to detail that was his father’s calling card across the entire breadth of his growing palette of appellations, then this domaine’s position among the greats of the Côte de Nuits will be assured.” William Kelley, The Wine Advocate

About Domaine Denis Mortet

Charles Mortet set up his estate in 1956 with a single hectare of vines. True to the tradition in Burgundy, he sold most of his production to merchant houses. In 1978 Denis joined his father, along with his wife Laurence. They were respectively 22 and 20 years old at the time. As Laurence’s family were farmers, she quickly took to working in the vineyard to her great satisfaction. Little by little, Denis developed bottled wine sales.

He succeeded his father in 1993 and created Domaine Denis Mortet. At the time it represented some 4.5 hectares within the districts of Gevrey-Chambertin, Chambolle-Musigny and Vougeot – but this was just the start to the establishment’s vineyard. In 1993 the company acquired the parcels of the Premier Cru Lavaux Saint-Jacques in Gevrey-Chambertin, as well as vineyard plots in Motrot, in Vellé, in Champs, and La Côte des Longeroies in Marsannay. In 1997 it purchased the district area, La Combe du Dessus. This was followed in 1999 by the acquisition of the vineyard of Chambertin Grand Cru. And of Premier Cru parcels and the Derée locality in 2000. At present, the estate comprises 11.2 hectares. In 2000 Denis’ son, Arnaud entered the company. He and his mother have been in charge since 2005.

A man of the vineyards, Arnaud’s “knack”, as critic David Schildknecht recently put it, is to be driven to produce perfect Pinot fruit from meticulously tended vineyards. He is without question one of the finest growers of the entire Côte (many of his colleagues acknowledge as much) and as great wines are the products of great fruit, it is no coincidence that he is producing some of the finest wines in Burgundy today. There is no doubt that the wines are more refined than those produced while his father was alive, yet they share the same intensity and potential longevity.

Arnaud is continuing Denis’ dream of producing more refined wines: openly getting closer stylistically to the wines of his uncle, Charles Rousseau, without sacrificing depth and intensity or consistency across the range (which Rousseau has often lacked). Denis was already “backing off” the extraction in the pursuit of greater elegance but Arnaud is taking this even further, not only via shorter and gentler macerations, but also by reducing the percentage of new oak used. At the same time the vineyard work chez Mortet is at the very highest level. Horse is now used to plough all 1er and Grand Cru vineyards (in order to minimise soil compaction) and organic/biodynamic practice is now being trialed in these sites. Machines are no longer used in any sites and all the work, including spraying copper/sulphur which is done via backpack.

The yields remain very low (much lower than Rousseau for example) and, according to my understanding, the fruit selection (triage) is also much more severe. Lower yields and stricter triage will always result in richer, more intense wines, at least when the wines are young.

Mortet’s vineyards are things of beauty. Every vine is tended by hand and leaves are removed if damaged in any way. The Allen Meadows notes above comments on the renown that Arnaud Mortet enjoys amongst his peers for his vineyard work. Everyone who knows Arnaud is well aware that he is a perfectionist by nature and that he is driven by the desire to honour his father’s legacy. He has made a wonderful start. The continued evolution of Domaine Denis Mortet is certainly going to be very exciting to watch (and taste!)

The 2017 Vintage by Denis Mortet

January: cold and dry, this month lacks water; this phenomenon continues throughout the season.
February: mild and dry.
March: rainy.
April and May: very beautiful and warm, except for a risk of frost from April 27 to 29 which slows the growth of the vegetation but the temperature rises quickly and from May 20 the vine starts growing again quickly.
June: at the beginning of the month, this acceleration promotes rapid flowering in 4 days.
The temperature is 100°F for 10 days. There is a nice outflow of grapes around June 20.
July: it is very hot at the beginning of the month, which triggers thunderstorms, heavy rain and hail. This stormy weather lasts until the end of July. The veraison (change of color of the grape berries) starts in mid-July, a sign of an early vintage recalling 2007 and 2011.
August: the weather was gloomy and heavy, with an event of rain at the end of the healthy month as the harvest approached. Harvest start on September 6 under average, cool and cloudy weather.
The year of this vintage ends with a beautiful sunny late season worthy of an Indian summer.
This 2017 is characterized by its solar side due to the strong sunshine of spring and summer.
The wines reveal a great Burgundian classicism with their fruity bursting with great frankness, in perfect balance with acidity. The combination of this freshness and this elegance promises the best for aging!

Arnaud, is now a veteran of some 15 vintages. He has inherited his father’s perfectionism in the vines—each parcel a garden—and has striven for ever greater refinement in his new, state-of-the-art, concrete-tank-filled cellar. The extractions are gentler, there is more whole-bunch, and now a significant portion of hand de-stemmed, whole berries (à la Leroy) and far less new oak. The wines retain something of the intensity, ripeness and depth of his father’s, but with more purity, digestibility and transparency.

As the notes below make clear, 2017 was an outstanding year chez Mortet. The wines are wonderfully perfumed, fleshy and juicy. They have ridiculous purity—wines of incredible finesse and balance. Arnaud Mortet is a huge fan and so are we, and you cannot go wrong with any wine across the range. These could only come from a perfectionist grower working with great terroirs, the wines of both the son of a great grower, and of a great grower in his own right!

Where in the World are They?

Denis Mortet now run by son Arnaud have plantings throughout the Côte de Nuits. The Grand Cru Chambertin is one of Burgundies greatest vineyards, and, is located in the Village Gevrey-Chambertin.