2017 Domaine Denis Mortet, Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru

The 2017 Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru includes 30 to 40% whole bunch fruit and matures in 70% new oak. This debuted in 2014. Arnaud Mortet told me that he feels has finally understood this vineyard. It has a compelling, vivacious, mineral-laden bouquet, driven by blackberry and cranberry fruit, one of the "stoniest" bouquets from Mortet this year. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp tannin, quite tensile and coiled up at the moment, yet there is a very long tail on the finish. This is a supremely detailed offering from Mortet and it should age in accomplished style.

2017 Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru is the fourth vintage of this grand cru that Arnaud Mortet has produced and it's a lovely wine, offering up notes of dark wild berries, orange rind, peonies and spices. On the palate, it's full-bodied, ample and layered, with excellent depth and dimension, framed by fine-grained tannins that assert themselves on the elegantly chalky finish. Mortet manually destemmed a quarter of this cuvée, cutting out the stems and retaining the pedicels.