2009 Domaine Denis Mortet, Gevrey-Chambertin “Vieilles Vignes” Red Burgundy, France.
I have been a long time fan of the Mortet wines and it was an unexpected pleasure to find myself with such a treat the other night, a big thank you to local collector and friend Fred Daniels for sharing. Domaine Denis Mortet has seen it’s ups and downs and the tragic loss of Denis Mortet by his own hands, but has been revitalized by his son Arnaud, who has put lots of hard work into the vineyards and passion into the winemaking since his father’s death in 2006. The wines now seem to be in good hands and are as good as I ever remember them, especially this old vine Gevrey-Chambertin, this is gorgeous stuff and shows classic layers of fruit, mineral and earthy character. Sadly now it is the importer that is going through a bit of upheaval and it is hard to find these wines through normal channels, in fact there has been a surge in grey market sales of Mortet, a few clients have reported recently being offered these wines ultra cheap, as low as $35 per bottle on pre arrival or at online wine auction sites, maybe the rising dollar has played a part? I would use wine-searcher to find the wine, and be careful to trust your instincts, but it would be a killer deal on a great bottle of wine. The 2009 Vieilles Vines Gevrey-Chambertin by Arnaud Mortet starts with a mixed of earth and floral tones with a deep ruby hue in the glass with red currant, roses and meaty notes as well before a rich palate of black cherry, raspberry and plum fruits, rocky and wet loam, chalk and truffle along with cedar, anise and tangy tea spices all play roles and there is ripe intensity, but with air everything folds together, gets tight and focused making for an impressive drinking young red Burgundy experience. This wine certainly is showing a willingness to perform and gives a lot of pleasure, this is a fine and well crafted effort, while not on the level of Perrot-Minot or Rousseau it is right up there with Maume, especially in this vintage, and is a good solid bet for mid term aging, best from 2016 to 2020.
($79-100 Est.) 93 Points, grapelive
