Arnaud Mortet Gevrey-Chambertin Cuvée de Très Vieilles Vignes 2023

Arnaud Mortet Gevrey-Chambertin Cuvée de Très Vieilles Vignes is a village wine drawn from three lieux-dits where the vines run from 80 to over 100 years old.

The fruit comes from En Champs, Combe de Dessus and Aux Echézeaux. En Champs sits high on the slope near the Brochon boundary, just below the premier cru Champeaux at the northern end of what is sometimes called the Côte Saint-Jacques; Arnaud Mortet knows the site well, since it forms the backbone of his Mes Cinq Terroirs cuvée and was once bottled on its own. The vines there are more than a century old and give very small crops of intensely flavoured fruit. Aux Echézeaux, on the Morey side, and Combe de Dessus, below Cazetiers, are only slightly younger at around 80 years. The 2023 was fermented with 70% of the fruit hand-destemmed and matured in 30% new oak.

Give it three to twelve years; serve with roast beef, game birds or a mushroom ragù at 16-18°C.

*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, Concentrated, Dark-fruited
Grape Varietal: Pinot Noir
Tastes Like: Comparable to a fine Pinot Noir, but darker, denser and more savoury than a fruit-driven New World example
Alcohol Percentage: 13%
Closure: Cork
Size: 750mL
Appellation: Gevrey-Chambertin AOC
Region: Gevrey-Chambertin, Côte de Nuits, Burgundy, France
Terroir: The domaine’s oldest vine parcels across the commune, on limestone and clay
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.

This cuvée is drawn from the domaine’s oldest vines in the commune. Old vines carry smaller crops and root more deeply, which tends to give greater concentration and a more consistent expression of the site from year to year. Bottled at village level, it offers a considerably denser and more serious wine than the appellation would usually suggest.

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.