Mommessin Clos de Tart Grand Cru 2005
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Wine Enthusiast
A beautiful wine, smooth, polished, with rounded corners. Its intense fruit is balanced and harmonizes well with the sweet tannins, the layers of wood and the red berry flavors. Certainly powerful, it impresses equally with the pleasure it will give in 7–10 years.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Tasted at the pre-dinner vertical to mark Sylvain Pitiot's retirement from the domaine, the 2005 Clos de Tart Grand Cru (tasted from magnum) is bestowed a magnificent bouquet of haunting intensity and purity: wild strawberry and raspberry - every atom infused with mineral/cold stone scents with amazing focus. The palate is simply to die for. Here, a precise lattice of tannin that is incredibly framed with perfect poise and detail, there is a gentle crescendo to an incisive finish that takes your breath away. Could this be Sylvain Pitior's greatest achievement alongside the 2002? Astonishingly fine - très grand cru, très délicieux.
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2010-
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In 1865, Jean-Marie Mommessin founded the wine making firm that bears his name in Burgundy, an area known as a cradle of viticulture just north of Lyon. In 1889, Mommessin acquired La Grange Saint-Pierre, ancient stone buildings in Macon that originally belonged to the Abbey of Cluny. Its key, the Key of St. Peter, became the famous house emblem and remains so still.
Today, the 5th generation of the Mommessin family produces and bottles wines with an abiding respect for each wine's unique character - ever careful to produce results that are "true to their type," and therefore perfect examples of their appellation.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
While Morey-St-Denis of Burgundy might not get the same attention as its neighbors, Gevrey-Chambertin to the north and Chambolle-Musigny to the south, there is no reason why it shouldn’t. The same line of limestone runs from the Combe de Lavaux in Gevrey—all the way through Morey—ending in Chambolle.
There are four grand cru vineyards, moving southwards from the border with Gevrey-Chambertin: Clos de la Roche, Clos St-Denis, Clos des Lambrays, Clos de Tart and a small segment of Bonnes-Mares overlapping from Chambolle. Clos de la Roche is probably the finest vineyard, giving wines of true depth, body, and sturdiness for the long haul than most other vineyards.
Pinot Noir from Morey-St-Denis is known for its deep red cherry, blackcurrant and blueberry fruit. Aromas of spice, licorice and purple flowers are present in the wines’ youth, evolving to forest and game as the wine ages.