DOMAINE DENIS MORTET Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaux Saint-Jacques 2018 Bottle

Description

Domaine Denis Mortet Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaux Saint Jacques 2018 is a concentrated and precise expression of one of Gevrey Chambertin’s most celebrated sites, combining muscularity with floral lift and limestone clarity. The colour is a clear ruby with crimson highlights. The nose opens with intense red and black cherry, Morello and ripe raspberry, underscored by a perfumed violet note and crushed rose petal typical of top Gevrey. With airing the bouquet broadens to reveal sous bois, damp earth and a hint of smoked meat, while a subtle graphite and mineral thread provides focus and terroir definition.

On the palate the wine is medium plus in weight with a dense, layered mid palate and finely grained tannins that give structure without harshness. Primary fruit is vivid and concentrated yet energized by a fresh seam of acidity, moving from juicy cherry and plum to darker berry compote on the mid palate. Savoury complexities of olive tapenade, mushroom and a gentle soy like reduction add depth and appetite appeal. Oak is judiciously used, offering a whisper of toasted spice and vanilla that frames the fruit rather than masking it. The finish is long and resonant, marked by a chalky mineral note and a faint bitter cocoa lift that lingers.

The 2018 vintage in Burgundy produced ripe fruit with good balance where vineyard work was meticulous; Mortet’s exacting site selection and careful extraction have turned that potential into a Lavaux Saint Jacques that is both immediate and built for the medium term. Approachable now with gentle decanting, the wine will reward patient cellaring as tertiary notes of leather, truffle and forest floor integrate further.

Drink 2028 to 2040, peaking 2030 to 2036. Serve at cellar cool room temperature with roast duck, poussin, beef en croute, wild mushroom risotto or aged Comte to complement the wine’s fruit intensity, savoury depth and structural elegance.

VINOUS (93-95) points
Drinking Window 2022 - 2044
From: 2018 Burgundy: Confounded Expectations (Jan 2020)
The 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Lavaux Saint-Jacques 1er Cru is completely de-stemmed and raised in 70% new oak. It has a very well-defined bouquet of raspberry and wild strawberry scents, plus pressed rose petal and a touch of orange pith. The palate is very well defined with supple tannins, a perfect line of acidity and a slight confit-like finish. Understated and refined, this will give two decades of drinking pleasure. - By Neal Martin on December 2019

WINE ADVOCATE (93-95) points
Reviewed by: William Kelley
The 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaux Saint-Jacques is elegant and perfumed this year, bursting with aromas of peonies, orange rind, wild berries and cassis. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied and fine-boned, less lavishly textural and more introverted than the Champeaux this year, structured around supple, powdery tannins and succulent acids.

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ABOUT DOMAINE DENIS MORTET
Domaine Denis Mortet is a highly regarded family owned estate in the Côte de Nuits, celebrated for concentrated, terroir driven Pinot Noir that balances power with precision. Established by Denis Mortet in 1994 after long experience working in Burgundy, the domaine quickly earned a reputation for rigorous vineyard work, careful selection and wines that express the distinct character of each site.

The domaine comprises roughly twelve hectares across some of Burgundy’s most esteemed communes, including parcels in Gevrey Chambertin, Vosne Romanée and Chambolle Musigny. Holdings span village and premier cru sites and include older vines that contribute depth and complexity. Vine management emphasises low yields, precise canopy work and selective hand harvesting to ensure optimal ripeness and healthy phenolic maturity. Soil care and sustainable practices are prioritised to preserve vine longevity and to reveal subtle differences between parcels.

Winemaking follows a minimal intervention philosophy designed to showcase site identity. Fruit is rigorously sorted on reception and vinified parcel by parcel, with both whole bunch and destemmed techniques used selectively according to vineyard character and vintage. Fermentations are closely monitored and extraction is measured to retain aromatic lift and fine tannin structure. Elevage is typically carried out in French oak barrels with proportions of new wood chosen to support rather than dominate fruit, producing wines with polished texture and clear mineral tension.

The house style marries ripe red and black fruit with floral perfume, forest floor and an iron like mineral thread. Whites and lesser cuvees, where produced, follow the same attention to site clarity and freshness. Denis Mortet established the standards and the domaine remains family driven, with the founder still associated with winemaking and the next generation increasingly involved in both vineyard and cellar management to ensure continuity.

Critics and collectors prize Mortet wines for their consistency, precision and ageing potential. Through meticulous parcel work, restrained cellar technique and a commitment to expressing terroir, Domaine Denis Mortet stands as a benchmark for serious, site focused Burgundy.