2010 - Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru, Denis Mortet

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