Arnaud Mortet Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaux St-Jacques 2023

Arnaud Mortet Lavaux St-Jacques comes from two small parcels of vines over seventy years old, on shallow, stony ground scattered with Gevrey silex.

Lavaux St-Jacques has been the signature cuvée of the Mortet family for a generation, with the Domaine Denis Mortet bottling widely taken as the benchmark for the vineyard. There are now two wines from the cru under the family’s labels, and little separates them in quality. The vineyard climbs into the mouth of the Combe de Lavaux beside Clos St-Jacques, but without that vineyard’s protecting walls, so it is fully exposed to the cool air that flows down the valley and is always the last site Arnaud Mortet picks. The Arnaud Mortet bottling is drawn from two small parcels of vines more than seventy years old, on rocky, shallow soils of less than fifty centimetres containing many pieces of Gevrey silex, evidence of the alluvial fan that spread out of the combe.

Best given seven or eight years and good for twenty-five. Serve at 16-18°C with roast lamb, hare or aged hard cheese.

*Every effort is made to ensure the current vintage is accurate; however, variations can occur. If you are after a specific vintage, please contact us prior to ordering.

Type: Red Wine
Style: Medium-bodied, Tensile, Aromatic
Grape Varietal: Pinot Noir
Tastes Like: Comparable to a fine Pinot Noir, but firmer and more savoury than a fruit-driven New World example
Alcohol Percentage: 13%
Closure: Cork
Size: 750mL
Appellation: Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru AOC
Region: Gevrey-Chambertin, Côte de Nuits, Burgundy, France
Terroir: Stony limestone soils running up into the Combe de Lavaux behind the village
Aging: Raised in barrel with restrained use of new oak
Serving Temperature: 15–16℃ – Decant and serve at cellar temperature

Arnaud Mortet works in Gevrey-Chambertin, the largest and most celebrated red wine commune of the Côte de Nuits, farming the family vineyards his father established a reputation with. The wines are built on low yields, meticulous work in the vineyard and a restrained hand in the cellar.

Lavaux Saint-Jacques is a premier cru running up into the Combe de Lavaux, the steep valley that cuts back into the hills behind the village. Cool air drains down the combe through the growing season, and the vineyard’s stony limestone soils and elevated position give wines with pronounced tension and aromatic lift. It is widely regarded as one of the two or three finest premiers crus in the commune and a serious rival to the grands crus in strong vintages.

Meat: Perfect with roast beef, braised short rib or rack of lamb
Game: Excellent with venison, hare, pheasant or partridge
Poultry: Pairs beautifully with roast duck, pigeon or coq au vin
Cheese: Ideal with Ami du Chambertin and Burgundian washed rinds

Ami du Chambertin: The washed rind of Gevrey itself, made expressly for these wines
Époisses: Pungent and rich, matching the wine’s intensity
Cîteaux: A Burgundian abbey cheese, supple and savoury
Comté: Nutty and firm, softening the wine’s tannin

Poulet Gaston Gérard (Dijon Chicken with Mustard and Comté)

Ingredients (Serves 4):

• 1 free-range chicken, jointed into 8 pieces
• 3 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 300ml thick cream
• 150g Comté, grated
• 150ml dry white wine
• 2 French shallots, finely chopped
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 40g butter
• 1 tbsp neutral oil
• Salt and cracked black pepper

Instructions:

1. Season the chicken and brown it in the butter and oil in an ovenproof pan until deep golden on all sides.
2. Remove the chicken, lower the heat and soften the shallots in the same pan.
3. Pour in the white wine and reduce by half, scraping up the caught juices.
4. Whisk the mustard and cream together with the paprika and plenty of pepper, then stir into the pan.
5. Return the chicken, spooning the sauce over each piece.
6. Scatter over two thirds of the grated Comté.
7. Bake at 200℃ for 25 minutes, then add the remaining cheese and grill briefly until blistered and golden.
8. Rest for five minutes and serve straight from the pan.

Created in Dijon in the 1930s and named after the city’s mayor, this is the dish of the northern Côte d’Or. Gevrey-Chambertin has the depth to hold its own against mustard and melted Comté, while its firm structure and dark fruit keep the richness of the cream in check.