2012 Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes

Arnaud Mortet has bottled a superb set of 2012s and believes that these wines may be for drinking both before and after the 2013s. He told me that he picked later than most of his colleagues in Gevrey-Chambertin and that he vinified a few of his 2012s with a percentage of whole clusters. Grape sugars were healthy in 2012 and Mortet described his yields as "decent."

Arnaud Mortet told me he is increasingly seeking tenderness and finesse. It's hard to argue with that view, as these wines are gorgeous. Readers will be able to get a good sense of the vintage by tasting the Bourgogne, which is one of the best wines in its peer group. Over the last few years Mortet has begun to back off the extractions, which has resulted in a series of striking, wonderfully translucent Burgundies. The malos finished between July and September, very much on the late side. New oak ranged from 20-30% for the villages, up 50% for the 1er Crus and 75-100% for the Grand Crus. At the time of this tasting, the Bourgogne was the only wine that had been racked

Arnaud Mortet told me that he has actually been picking later and later in recent years, in search of full phenolic maturity, and yet his 2012s (and 2011s) are wonderfully perfumed and vibrant wines. He has continued to cut back on the use of new oak and pigeage, relying instead on remontage, which gives him a gentler, longer extraction by keeping the grapes unbroken longer. His use of cement tanks also helps him maintain a consistent fermentation temperature in the 31 to 32 degree C range. Mortet told me he had decent yields in 2012 and that grape sugars were very healthy. He began harvesting on September 23 and noted that he did not see much difference in the fruit picked before and after the substantial rain that fell on the 26th. Only the Fixin and the Chambertin had been racked at the time of my visit, as these wines had been quite reduced following their malolactic fermentations, which generally finished between June and early August.