2022 Chambertin Grand Cru

Arnaud Mortet takes this Gevrey-based Domaine to a higher level every year, refining his approach. One major change has been a gradual reduction in the level of new oak, which you could argue was a little too high in the past. It’s more a controlled ‘dialing down’ from 100% in his top cuvées, to percentages commensurate with the fruit concentration, though he points out that this obliges longer durations in barrel. The other change was his removal of the pedicels from the whole bunches of his Premier and Grand Crus. The fastidious and time-consuming removal of the main stem both moderates its impact and, crucially, how much it potentially increases pH levels. Therefore, readers should be aware that where I quote whole bunches percentages in tasting notes, it is misleading to compare this figure with other growers, who don’t remove. The sensory effect is different. Mortet mentioned that this laborious process is undertaken only by women since men get bored after a few bunches!

“I picked on September 1,” he explains. “I picked early to keep the freshness. The flavors were nice at that time, and we didn’t need a lot of alcohol to obtain maturity. I made a normal yield, 30 to 35hL/ha, because, in the northern part of Gevrey, where about 70% of my vines are located, we had hail three times. The hail was small, but we lost fruit each time. Fortunately, the damaged berries dried and just fell off.” We also discussed the torrential rainfall in June. He spoke about how the official measurements say that 100mm fell in just one hour, though he believes it must be higher because it was too much for the rain gauge to read. Mortet’s swimming pool flooded the garden, which was under 20cm of water.

I tasted through both Mortet’s Domaine wines and his namesake négociant wines, which include an additional cuvée: Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze, where he bought fruit this year but, like the others, will manage the vines from the next. I find Mortet is becoming a real dab hand at utilizing significant whole bunches, imparting his wines with much more freshness than the richer, more opulent wines of the past. The fruit spectrum alternates between red and black depending on the cuvée, which is quite structured yet has increasing harmony and transparency. After our morning tasting, I asked whether he aims to expand his holdings further, but after the huge 2023 crop, he’s adamant that he has reached full capacity and to maintain his meticulous winemaking and quality, it would be self-defeating to take on any more vineyards.