Tasted in Morey St.Denis with Alessandro Noli, 30 November 2022.
Clos de Tart
7 Route des Grands Crus
21220 Morey St.Denis
Tel: +33 3 80 34 30 91
www.clos-de-tart.com
More reports with Domaine Clos de Tart
Alessandro on 2022:
“I’m very happy with 2022 – it wasn’t a particularly large crop – just 28-29 hl/ha – but that’s quite close to our normal average.”
Alessandro on 2021:
“We did well in 2021 – relatively! Approaching 30 hl/ha in barrel after triage etcetera – that’s thanks to the extra-close spacing between the candles during the nights of frost – Not just frost – I was coming back from Beaune when it started to snow! Though here it’s a yield that’s slightly better than in 2020. We were well protected in 21 and because of that, I don’t think we had the extra volume that previously frosted vines famously produce. Of course, there were more vintage complications – in general in Burgundy – when compared to some other recent vintages but I love this vintage, and I defend it! It didn’t start with a great press maybe because of the discussions around the volume but I think it is magnificent – great balance but with finesse. It delivers some things directly but that doesn’t mean that it’s lacking anything. Finally, the signature finesse and elegance that this vintage has is what I’ve really been looking for in the wine of the Clos de Tart.”
The ‘wines’…
More elevage required here to be definitive but the Clos seems to be a very great one – the other wines, proportionally, have their chance too!
All the 2021 wines are still in barrel – no assembling yet:
2021 Morey St.Denis
All the young vines of the Clos are marked and harvested separately for this wine – since 2018 – the top northern parcel of ‘Cabotte’ had the first grapes from a plantation in 2018. But this wine contains all the replacement vines in the clos too – now that’s work!
A middle density of red fruit with a faint echo of reduction and a slowly growing width of faintly spiced perfume. Gorgeous texture and mobility in this flavour, with a slowly widening panorama of flavour. I would wait a while to open a little more but this is a villages of both concentration and sophistication.
2021 Morey St.Denis 1er Les Forges de Tart
Here, parcels based on age – 10 years old – in the Clos plus two parcels on the northern side where they are, since 2022, changing the grafts from some clonal material from the 1980s to re-graft with some of their own masalle selections. Lastly, there was a mid-slope section on the southern wall which they found excellent but had some doubts about whether they merited grand cru – so given their doubt they decided to include in Les Forges. Some parts with about 25% wc, the rest destemmed.
More airy, more open aromas – something of a cherry-stone accent here. Extra volume in the mouth – scale. Again with super texture and mobile shape to the flavour. A touch of extra austerity but never with anything I could consider hard. Really persistent and retains a texture of velour in the finish. The flavour’s not so aromatically expressive but the shape of the wine is compelling! This is another wine that’s certainly for keeping – it will be interesting to see how the next months of elevage will affect it – it probably won’t be bottled much before July next year.
‘I want to be strict, keeping most pure cuvées for the Clos de Tart.’
Some width of barrel smoke – there’s around 60% new here – but the whole clusters are beautifully integrated – not fully expressive yet but the aromas are of perfume today rather than stems. Volume without weight – gorgeously textured – there is some framing tannin but hardly affecting the texture as there is no grain – but still some support. A subtle reduction in these flavours. Overall a wine of concentration and, today, a little introspection – wait for the full effect. But the finish is broad and brighter – and starting to show some extra perfume. That’s going to be a great finish – the length is already clear.
And, now they are bottled – but only 3 months:
2020 Morey St.Denis 1er Les Forges de Tart
This nose is more direct, with faintly herbed complexity. Like the nose, this is much more direct and shows the tannin as it frames all the flavours – more-so than the last wine. There’s more perfume in the wine but less breadth of the flavours. The finish more intense but less sophisticated today also with a little of the barrel here that wasn’t visible in the last. Impressive baby wine with a long life ahead…
2020 Clos de Tart
Hmm – more forward and floral in style. In the mouth, there’s concentration and a sinuous, mobile quality – athletic muscle yet fine texture too. Broadening in the finish with a little cushion and still some finishing weight – already excellent but with far more potential, it’s a wine for keeping! Unless I had a lot(!) I wouldn’t be opening one of these before it’s 15 years old.