Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru 2017 Domaine Denis Mortet

The Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru 2017 from Domaine Denis Mortet is one of the most precious and awaited bottles from this emblematic estate of the Côte de Nuits, sourced from a confidential parcel in the upper part of the Clos known as the "des Rois", where sixty-year-old vines carry within them six decades of history and memory of Burgundy's largest Grand Cru. On the 2017 vintage, a warm and early year unanimously celebrated for the richness and concentration of its grapes, this Grand Cru reveals all the power and generosity of its fine silt and clay terroir, in a solar, fleshy and profound style that demands patience and contemplation.

The terroir and parcel

Founded and walled by the Cistercian monks of Cîteaux Abbey from the 12th century onwards, Clos de Vougeot is the largest and most legendary Grand Cru of the Côte de Nuits, 80 hectares of unbroken vineyard whose geological diversity gives rise to fascinating complexity and stylistic variety depending on each parcel's position on the slope. Domaine Denis Mortet's parcel is a superb 55 are plot in the upper part of the Clos, known as the Rois, a terroir once reserved exclusively for the Kings. The sixty-year-old vines are planted on brown soils of fine silt, a substrate of exceptional richness and complexity that marries the power and flesh of clay with the minerality and tension of limestone. These deep roots nourish the remarkable concentration, complexity and depth of this wine year after year. Winemaking remains faithful to the estate's philosophy: rigorous grape selection with partial destemming, fermentation using only native yeasts, moderate punch-downs and pump-overs, and classic ageing of 18 months in barrels, 100% new oak sourced from the domaine's single cooper.

Tasting profile — 2017

The 2017 vintage is a great solar year for the Côte de Nuits, producing ripe, concentrated grapes with remarkable natural generosity and naturally elevated alcohol perfectly melded into rich, fleshy matter. The colour is a deep, luminous purple with garnet reflections, a density and brilliance that announce the wine's grandeur. The nose is strikingly rich and profound, wild blackberry, preserved cherry and dark blackcurrant aromas assert themselves with generosity and concentration, accompanied by liquorice, coffee, cedar and sweet spice notes from the new oak ageing perfectly integrated, with deep, smoky clay minerality in the glass's depths. On the palate, the texture is concentrated, dense and fleshy in richness, the signature of great Clos de Vougeot vintages on this fine silt terroir, a full and velvet-textured matter, carried by ripe and enveloped tannins of sumptuous texture, with well-integrated fresh acidity that brings tension and length. The finish is long, spicy and persistent, with depth and complexity that confirm the considerable ageing potential of this vintage.

The domaine

Born in 1991 from the division of Charles Mortet's lands, father of Denis, Domaine Denis Mortet today covers all the appellations of the Gevrey-Chambertin commune for a total annual production of 55,000 bottles. Denis Mortet, who died prematurely in February 2006, had imposed a revolutionary style in the 1990s, intense and aromatic wines inspired by Henri Jayer, aged in new oak with incomparable mastery. His son Arnaud now guides the domaine with the same rigour and conviction, evolving the style towards greater finesse and terroir expressivity, speaking not of extraction but of "infusion" to describe his preferred method. This is simply one of the stars of the Côte de Nuits that you must absolutely know as a serious wine lover.

Food pairings

This Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru 2017 will pair sublimely with jugged hare, roasted capon with morels and Burgundy truffles, Wagyu beef fillet with black truffle jus, veal chop with porcini, or game birds such as roasted woodcock on toast. It will also find beautiful harmony with aged soft-paste cheeses such as Époisses or Soumaintrain. Decanting for two hours is essential. Served between 15 and 17°C, it will gradually reveal all the grandeur, generosity and depth of one of the Côte de Nuits' greatest terroirs in one of its most solar and fleshy vintages.