2005 Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru

The 2005 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru brings together fruit from a circle of vineyards around Ruchottes, Mazis and Clos de Beze: Champonnet and tiny parcels in Bel Air, Petite Chapelle and Cherbaudes. A lovely aroma of sweetly-spicy black raspberry, rich roasted meats, sauteed champignons, cardamom and nutmeg leads to a polished, impressively dense palate of ripe, spicy black fruit and rich meatiness, underlain by suggestions of wet stone. This beautifully displays the combination of density with elegance, lift and textural refinement that is possible in 2005. Mortet pegs it for restaurants to serve short term, but I think this is worth a place in one’s cellar for at least 5-7 years. Taking over this domaine in his mid-twenties, Arnaud Mortet appears poised to bottle a superb collection from his father’s final harvest. The crew took a brief second pass over certain parcels, he relates, and the bunches from some young vines required triage, but otherwise the fruit was perfect at first picking. Malolactic fermentations continued well into last autumn. Mortet emphasizes that he will continue a search for elegance and refinement begun in recent years, with a lighter touch during fermentation, and at least for vintage 2006 the employment of some previously-used barrels in order to de-emphasize wood at the modest end of his price spectrum. Importer: Martine’s Wines, Novato, CA; tel. (415) 883-0400.