Arnaud Mortet Mazoyères-Chambertin Grand Cru 2023

Arnaud Mortet Mazoyères-Chambertin comes from the lower part of the vineyard, on the Morey boundary, from 0.45 hectares of forty-five-year-old vines.

Mazoyères-Chambertin is the southern half of the Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru and may legally be sold under either name, though growers who bottle it separately generally argue that it is the firmer and more mineral of the two. It runs down the slope towards the Morey-Saint-Denis border on soils that grow deeper and more clay-rich as they descend. Arnaud Mortet’s parcel is in Mazoyères dessous, the lower section, on heavier clay than his Charmes higher up, and the vines average forty-five years. Seventy per cent of the fruit was hand-destemmed and the wine was raised in half new oak. The result is the more refined and tightly drawn of the two Grands Crus from this cellar, and a Gevrey that shows the finesse of the Morey side of the boundary.

Best given eight years and capable of twenty-five. Serve at 16-18°C with roast beef, venison 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: Full-bodied, Earthy, Age-worthy
Grape Varietal: Pinot Noir
Tastes Like: Comparable to a fine Pinot Noir, but darker and earthier than a fruit-driven New World example
Alcohol Percentage: 13.5%
Closure: Cork
Size: 750mL
Appellation: Mazoyères-Chambertin Grand Cru AOC
Region: Gevrey-Chambertin, Côte de Nuits, Burgundy, France
Terroir: Clay-rich soils low on the slope at the southern end of the commune, bordering Morey-Saint-Denis
Aging: Raised in barrel with restrained use of new oak
Serving Temperature: 16℃ – Decant before serving

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.

Mazoyères-Chambertin sits at the southern end of the commune, the furthest of the grands crus from Chambertin itself and bordering Morey-Saint-Denis. Its soils carry more clay and sit lower on the slope, giving wines with a darker, earthier register than neighbouring Charmes. Growers here are entitled to sell the wine as Charmes-Chambertin, and many do, which makes a bottling under the Mazoyères name comparatively uncommon.

Game: Perfect with hare, venison, wild boar or roast grouse
Meat: Excellent with beef fillet, braised oxtail or rack of lamb
Truffle: Pairs beautifully with truffle dishes or a truffled celeriac purée
Cheese: Ideal with Ami du Chambertin and long-aged hard cheeses

Ami du Chambertin: The washed rind of Gevrey itself, made expressly for these wines
Langres: Pungent and washed rind, matching the wine’s power
Comté Extra-Vieux: Long-aged and crystalline, softening the wine’s tannin
Époisses: Rich and intense, a Burgundian pairing for a Burgundian red

Lièvre à la Royale (Braised Hare in Red Wine)

Ingredients (Serves 6):

• 1 hare, jointed, with liver reserved
• 750ml red Burgundy
• 200g pork belly, diced
• 100g chicken livers
• 12 garlic cloves, peeled
• 6 French shallots, peeled
• 3 tbsp brandy
• 500ml veal or game stock
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 4 tbsp duck fat or butter
• Salt and cracked black pepper
• Celeriac purée, to serve

Instructions:

1. Marinate the hare overnight in the red wine with the bay and thyme.
2. Drain the meat, reserving the marinade, and dry the pieces thoroughly.
3. Melt the duck fat in a heavy casserole and brown the hare deeply on all sides. Remove and set aside.
4. Add the pork belly, whole garlic cloves and whole shallots, cooking until golden and softened.
5. Pour in the brandy and let it cook off, then add the reserved marinade and reduce by a third.
6. Return the hare, add the stock, cover and cook in a low oven at 140℃ for three hours until the meat falls from the bone.
7. Lift out the hare and keep it warm. Blend the livers into the sauce off the heat to thicken and enrich it, then strain and check the seasoning.
8. Return the meat to the sauce and serve with celeriac purée.

The grandest game dish in French cooking, and one of the few that can meet a grand cru Gevrey on level terms. The wine’s depth, tannin and length carry a sauce this rich, while its acidity and dark fruit cut through the liver and duck fat rather than being buried by them.