Winemaker Notes
The soils have been turned using a horse-drawn plough for ten years or so and this gives superb results: an even more expressive wine, longer on the palate. The color is black and intense. Tannins envelop the palate; the finish ends on flavors of fresh berries. It is a full wine from the first taste to the finish. A wine structured for ageing.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
'Caviar' is how Arnaud Mortet describes the grapes from this old-vine cuvée, sourced from four parcels close to Brochon on the northern side of Gevrey-Chambertin. Floral, elegant and very enticing, even at this very young stage, it has layer upon layer of spices and red berry fruit framed by 50% new wood. The finish shimmers on the palate, sustained by tangy acidity.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Mortet's 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Champeaux derives from a parcel planted more than 80 years ago, and as usual it's one of the more muscular, age-worthy wines in the range. Unfurling in the glass with notes of cherries, woodsmoke, cassis, candied citrus peel and incense, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and complete, with velvety tannins, impressive concentration and succulent acids.
Barrel Sample: 93-95
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.”
This small village is home to the Grands Crus in the farthest northerly stretches of Côte de Nuits and is famous for some of the deepest and firmest Burgundian Pinot Noir.
Gevrey boasts nine Grands Crus, the best of which are arguably Le Chambertin and Chambertin-Clos de Bèze. As with all of the fragmented vineyards of Burgundy, it isn’t easy to differentiate between the two, which are situated adjacent with Clos de Bèze slightly further up the hill than Le Chambertin. Clos de Bèze has a shallower soil and if you’re really counting, may produce wines less intense but more likely to charm. Some compare Le Chambertin in both power and plentitude only to the prized Romanée-Conti Grand Cru farther south in Vosne-Romanée.
Two other Grands Crus vineyards, Mazis-Chambertin (also written Mazy-) and Latricières-Chambertin command almost as much regard as Le Chambertin and Chambertin-Clos de Bèze. The upper part of Mazy, called Les Mazis Haut is the best and Latricières-Chambertin offers an abundance of juicy fruit and a silky texture in the warmer vintages.
Other Grands Crus are Ruchottes-Chambertin, Charmes-Chambertin, Mazoyères-Chambertin, Griotte-Chambertin and Chapelle-Chambertin.
The most respected Pinot Noir wines from Gevrey-Chambertin are robust and powerful but at the same time, velvety and expressive: black fruit, black liquorice and chocolate come into play. After some time in the bottle, the wines are harmonious with bright and sometimes candied fruit, and aromas of musk, truffle and forest floor. These have staying power.