2018 Chambolle-Musigny Aux Beaux Bruns 1er Cru Domaine Denis Mortet...

The 25 vineyards in Chambolle-Musigny (listed below) are designated as Premier Cru vineyards. Their wines are described as Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru, followed by the vineyard name – for example, as Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru Les Grands Murs: Les Véroilles, Les Sentiers, Les Baudes, Les Noirots, Les Lavrottes, Les Fuées, Les Feusselottes, Les Grands Murs, Aux Beaux Bruns, Aux Echanges, Les Gruenchers, Les Groseilles, Les Combottes, Les Charmes, Les Plantes, Aux Combottes, Derrière la Grange, Les Borniques, Les Hauts Doix, Les Chatelots, Les Cras, Les Carrières, Les Chabiots, Les Amoureuses, La Combe d'Orveau. Les Amoureuses (5.40 hectares) The most celebrated Premier Cru in Chambolle.

The vines are situated just below Le Musigny but above the significant drop down into Vougeot Premier Cru La Perrière, caused by quarrying rather than a fault line. When young it is almost ludicrously charming, yet it does not age quickly. Leading producers are Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé, Domaine Georges Roumier, Château de Chambolle-Musigny (Frédéric Mugnier), Domaine Robert Groffier, Domaine Amiot-Servelle and Domaine Bertheau. Les Baudes (3.42 hectares) The last of the Chambolle vineyards before the boundary with Morey St Denis, making a relatively firm style (especially in the hands of vignerons from Gevrey-Chambertin such as Christian Sérafin). Les Charmes (7.51 hectares) In common with other Charmes vineyards the wines are plump and rounded. Look for Chambolle Charmes from Domaines Amiot-Servelle, Barthod, Bertheau, Christian Clerget, Ponsot and Patrice Rion.

Domaine Denis Mortet in Burgundy was founded by Denis Mortet in the early 1990s. He died at the age of 51, after taking his own life in January 2006. In his brief, but highly acclaimed passage from the winemaking scene, he rose to become a colossal figure in Burgundy, fashioning wines from relatively modest vineyard holdings which punch far above their weight. He rose to fame with an exceptional range of wines from the 1993 vintage. He believed with a deep passion that the work in the vineyard was everything. But there was an essential contradiction to his work: he yearned to make wines of finesse and style, but everything he did in the vineyard and cellar tended towards sumptuous wines of almost unparalleled weight and opulence, which achieved cult status and a devoted following. But the harder he drove himself, the further from his stated aim he went. Only now, under son Arnaud and the watchful eye of his mother Laurence, are the wines achieving the minerality and elegance (and seemingly without sacrificing weight) that Denis sought. At the domaine everything starts in the vineyard, where every measure is taken to produce the finest, ripest fruit possible, creating a style of wine which, as Denis used to say is "a pleasure to drink young or old." This is an estate of young vines - 25 years old - and where village wines are tended as if they were a Grand Cru; thus all the reds see 100% new oak. Denis Mortet's immaculate vineyards are the key and no stone is left unturned in the pursuit of excellence. The number of cuvées of village Gevrey has fluctuated in recent years. It was reduced to just one in 2005, two in 2006 and then expanded again to four in 2007: Gevrey on its own, Combes Dessus, En Champs and vieilles vignes. Other cuvées which have appeared from time to time include En Motrot, En Derée and Au Vellé. The Domaine's 10 hectares encompass 14 different Appellations, including two Grands Crus - Clos-de-Vougeot and Chambertin - and are a far cry from the days of his father, Charles, who started off with only one hectare. Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Wine Director and author of the award-winning Inside Burgundy comprehensive handbook.