Arnaud Mortet’s 2023 Gevrey-Chambertin “Cuvée de Très Vieilles Vignes” is a village-level Pinot Noir built around unusually old plant material. It blends three lieux-dits—Combes Dessus, Aux Echezeaux and En Champs—with vines cited by reviewers at roughly 80–100+ years old. Jasper Morris adds a technical detail rarely seen at this level: the fruit “yielding 35 hl/ha,” and notes that En Champs, near Brochon at the northern end of Gevrey, “has the oldest vines.”
Winemaking choices lean toward structure and perfume, with a high proportion of whole bunch (reported at 60–70%) but with large stems removed. That pedicel approach shows up directly in the mouthfeel. Neal Martin (Vinous) highlights “a very floral bouquet with wilted rose petal infusing the vivacious red fruit,” and says “the removal of the pedicels” brings “a silkiness.” He calls it “one of Mortet’s more sensual offerings in 2023,” finishing “lightly spiced” and “harmonious.” Vinous scores it 93 (91–93), an excellent early review.
Aromatically, the other critics line up on floral lift and spice. William Kelley (Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate) describes it as “lovely,” with “dark berries, orange zest, spices and rose petals,” moving into a “medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy palate that’s rich and creamy,” and he notes the vintage translates the cuvée’s natural structure into “greater depth and weight of fruit.” Burghound calls the nose “exceptionally pretty and beautifully layered,” with “plum, spice, the sauvage and cool floral wisps,” and praises “caressing but decidedly punchy” flavors, ending in a “dusty, powerful and balanced finale” where “a touch of wood slowly emerges.”
The top praise comes from Jasper Morris, whose 95 (92–95) is an excellent review. He emphasizes a “very refined nose, not over stated,” “all red fruit not black,” and “cherries to finish,” while noting oak is a little more visible before the wine’s stem-derived length takes over. Overall, this is a serious, floral Gevrey villages with real old-vine concentration and clear potential to reward cellaring.
