2017 Arnaud Mortet Gevrey-Chambertin 750 ml

Sometimes you don’t know what you’re made of until life puts you to the test. Such was the case for 24-year-old Arnaud Mortet, who unexpectedly had to take the reins at his family estate in Burgundy after the sudden death of his father in 2006. As if that wasn’t enough, his father was the famous Denis Mortet of Gevrey-Chambertin and left some rather big shoes to fill. But Arnaud, with the support of his mother and sister, has proven equal to the task. His 2017 Gevrey-Chambertin village cuvée under his own Arnaud Mortet label is bottled proof.

We tasted this extraordinary Arnaud Mortet 2017 Gevrey-Chambertin on our last trip through the Côte de Nuits. Our expectations were high, given that Master of Wine Tim Atkin had called the Denis Mortet Gevrey AC "one of the best village Gevreys on the market, easily as good as many producers' premiers crus." Seated outside, we gathered some twenty-five bottles of Gevrey-Chambertin onto a rough-hewn wooden table, wedging the ‘17 Arnaud Mortet in amongst Grands and Premiers Crus—wines that fetch four and five times the price. 

As we tucked into a classic French spread of duck rillettes, local cheeses, and crusty, just-baked baguettes, those exquisite and practically priceless Burgundies provided a backdrop, while the Arnaud Mortet lit our fire with its intertwining aromas of black cherry, toast, fresh violets, licorice, and forest floor, and classic Gevrey core of black cherry and earth flavors, followed by super-fine tannins. Over the two-hour lunch under dappled Burgundian sunshine, it proved graceful and beautifully complex, opening up to an even greater depth of muscular fruit, floral notes, and mineral expression. 

As the last drops were drained from the bottle, we placed an order with our most discerning Burgundy aficionados in mind—the ones who love the Grands Crus, would drink them 24/7 if they could (as we would), but lament the scarcity of Burgundy from the best villages for under $100. Today we’re not lamenting. We’re celebrating a fantastic Burgundy from the village built on Grands Crus—at just $89. 

Arnaud has proved he has what it takes to uphold the family legacy. After taking over in 2006, he has gone from strength to strength, leaning on his perfectionist nature to continue his father’s production of refined, elegant, terroir-driven wines. He lowered yields, stopped the use of all machines in the vineyards, cut back on plowing, reduced the use of new oak for aging, and opted for more severe berry selection at harvest. He’s also using more stems and making the macerations gentler, and continuing his father’s practice of a pre-fermentation cold maceration, which Denis adopted from his own legendary mentor Henri Jayer. 

In the decade since Arnaud took over, there has emerged a respectful recognition by many in the community that son may have already risen to his father’s level. Now he’s applying his talent to his own young label—2017 is just the second vintage—which is still too small for much critical attention. But with early call-outs by Allen Meadows’ Burghound, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, and Neal Martin at Vinous, that will change swiftly. 

2017 was a very good year for Burgundy, and this bottling comes from 50- to 70-year-old Gevrey parcels totaling ten acres, including Premiers and Grands Crus that Arnaud took over from a retiring neighbor. The Mortets manage all aspects of the vineyards and do all the pruning, treatments, and other work themselves. As with the Denis Mortet estate vineyards, all work is done by hand. 

This is a beautiful bottle from a region where sub-triple-digit wines get scarcer and scarcer every year. Arnaud Mortet and his talent have done his family proud in Burgundy for ten years under his father’s famous label. Now is the time to buy this delicious value while it’s on the rise—and before its price catches up to its quality.