2017 Gevrey-Chambertin, La Perrière, 1er Cru, Arnaud Mortet, Burgundy

Pinot Noir is probably the most frustrating and, at times, infuriating wine grape in the world. However, when it is successful, it can produce some of the most sublime wines known to man. This thin-skinned grape, which grows in small, tight bunches, performs well on well-drained, deepish limestone-based subsoils. It is more susceptible than other varieties to overcropping - concentration and varietal character disappear rapidly if yields are excessive, and yields as little as 25hl/ha are the norm for some climats of Burgundy's Côte d'Or.

Named after its principle village of Nuits St Georges, the Côte de Nuits forms the northern half of Burgundy’s legendary Côte d’Or, a 20km strip stretching from Dijon to Nuits St Georges, with the best vineyards found halfway up its slopes where growing conditions are at their best. With 22 of the region’s 23 red Grands Crus, most of the world’s great Pinot Noirs are made here, along with a small number of high-quality Chardonnays.

Not content with just running the family estate (Domaine Denis Mortet), Arnaud Mortet created his own label. This exciting project was made possible by a retiring vigneron, who passed a four-hectare estate to him and his sister, Clémence. Their first vintage was 2016. Arnaud carries out all the vineyard work with his team – to the same, exacting standards applied to the family vines – and then buys the fruit from the proprietor. Technically, this makes it a négociant business, but in reality he has 100% control of the vineyards and the winemaking. The circa four hectares are spread around Gevrey-Chambertin – the majority 50-year-old village vines, and then similarly old-vine plots across the Premiers Crus La Perrière and Lavaux St Jacques and Grands Crus Mazoyères and Charmes. The vineyards are relatively old. Arnaud believes that the plant material is similar to that at Domaine Maume, giving quite large but well-spaced bunches of grapes providing good aeration for the fruit, meaning rot and other fungal diseases are not an issue. The winemaking will evolve as Arnaud gains more confidence in the health of the vineyards, feeling that the quality of the fruit has to be perfect for his normal practices to work fully. He therefore intends to be more cautious with regards to new oak and whole-bunch usage in early vintages of these wines, before the style mirrors that of the Domaine Denis Mortet range. Arnaud Mortet is exclusive to Berry Bros. & Rudd in the UK.