Mortet Denis

1998 Mortet Denis Gevrey-Chambertin Lavaux St.Jacques

By on April 30, 2009 #asides

Medium-plus colour. Whilst the majority of what the nose offers up, neatly fits the vernacular established by the other wines, there is just an extra edge of oak toast – unique to this vintage – but the wine has eaten it up sufficiently that there is no impression of asyness. I find a lot of carbon dioxide on the palate – initially it’s very hard to judge. Plenty of swirling slowly releases the wine within; on entry the fruit has a nice red edge and a good, dark and spicy length. As the gas fades, so the dimension on the mid-palate becomes ever-more expressive and impressive – really lovely, and I would say better than the 1999!

1997 Mortet Denis Gevrey-Chambertin Lavaux St.Jacques

By on April 30, 2009 #asides

Medium-plus colour. The nose offers a slightly ‘raised’ impression of ripe fruit backed by brûlée, over a darker core that hints of minerals and oak. Ripe, showing good gras and balance – decent acidity here. Dark and mineral in a finish that faintly lingers. Quite a bit ‘looser’ than either 99 or 98, but approachable and very tasty.

1996 Mortet Denis Gevrey-Chambertin Lavaux St.Jacques

By on April 30, 2009 #asides

Medium, medium-plus colour. The nose is quite different here; dark but maybe a hint reduced and tight at the core – it takes a few minutes, but slowly the nose becomes more expressive. In the mouth it’s ripe and fresh, yet gives me the impression that it is lifted and a little volatile. Still, there is decent balance and a very good finish. Others liked it, I am not entirely convinced…

1995 Mortet Denis Gevrey-Chambertin Lavaux St.Jacques

By on April 30, 2009 #asides

Medium, medium-plus colour. Fine and wide aromas, less dark than many, still spicy but becoming a little animale. Ripe with some fat, really nice texture despite, or perhaps because of the furry tannin. Insinuating flavours refuse to depart though this is still a baby. Quite minerally saline and very long. Nice.

1993 Mortet Denis Gevrey-Chambertin Lavaux St.Jacques

By on April 30, 2009 #asides

(Magnum) The first vintage of this wine at the domaine. Medium, medium-plus colour. If the last wines had some minor departure from the aromatic script, this is clearly back on-message; mineral, some sweetness, faint coffee and quite some complexity – super. Fat texture and still relatively primary, but it’s still intense and full of mid-palate flavour. The saline minerality is fully evident in the long finish – and it’s an excellent finish. Today it’s a massive and just vaguely monolithic experience – it might show better if there was a hint more freshness. I don’t think it will ever be noble or intricately precise, but it’s clearly built to impress.

2006 Mortet Denis Gevrey-Chambertin Lavaux St.Jacques

By on April 30, 2009 #asides

Medium, medium-plus colour. The first vintage from Arnaud Mortet with some help in the background during harvesting from Claire Forestier. This seems a different interpretation versus what follows, but I add the caveat that this is also the youngest wine so showing the most young, fat fruit. Wide aromas of mainly dark shaded fruit and a faint hint at something volatile – at this stage, more fruit-forward than other vintages. This fills your mouth with plenty of fruity dimension and understated though balanced acidity. The almost saline, mineral quality of the other vintages starts on a much lower register though eventually begins to make its mark on the finish. The tannin seems very polished though this is the only wine here to show any oak texture on the good finish.

2005 Mortet Denis Gevrey-Chambertin Lavaux St.Jacques

By on April 30, 2009 #asides

Medium-plus colour. The nose starts wide and darkly fruited; muscular yet coiled, slowly begins to envelop you while adding faint coffee notes – it’s never overtly oaky. In the mouth it’s decently textured, the tannin largely hidden. It’s a spicy mouthful of licorice and black olive with a very impressive if currently bitter chocolate length – no oak texture here. I expected a little more ‘impact’, but versus many from the vintage this is showing rather well – so no complaints.

2004 Mortet Denis Gevrey-Chambertin Lavaux St.Jacques

By on April 30, 2009 #asides

(Magnum) Medium-plus colour and actually a faint shade darker than the 2005 if not quite the same level of purple reflections. The nose starts with mild 2004-specific aromas, but they build, eventually masking what is only a suggestion of concentrated fruit. This starts with enought dissolved gas to make it hard to judge – swirling reduces the problem, leaving you with a similar licorice/olive impression in the mid-palate and into the finish. There is also the 2004 flavour to martch the aromas. Impossible for me to love this.

2003 Mortet Denis Gevrey-Chambertin Lavaux St.Jacques

By on April 30, 2009 #asides

(Magnum) Medium-plus colour to the same depth as the 2005, though with a more yellowing rim. Dark, muscular aromas are augmented with spice and licorice – becomes quite comforting and enveloping – riper but very similar to the 2005. Riper in the mouth too, but balanced. The dark fruit is still in the ascendent, but I see some red here too, also, for the first time, we have some obvious tannin structure, but the grain is fine. It is a big and quite mineral mouthful with dark, spicy and slightly saline quality of many in this series.

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