(Please see my overview of the 2018 vintage in the Côte d’ Or here.)
Arnaud Mortet said that he began harvesting on 3 September and it went very fast. Alcohols did not exceed 13.6-13.7º. He performed a big green harvest, the largest since 1999, and would up with 45 hl/ha for the village wines, 40-45 hl/ha for the premier and grand cru wines. Whole clusters in some wines, not in others this vintage. Some wines finished malolactic fermentation in January and February, others were later at the usual time. Arnaud has shortened vinifications compared to the past.
The three relatively new grands crus, Echézeaux, Mazis-Chambertin, and Bonnes Mares, are included.
2018 Bourgogne Pinot Noir
Fresh strawberry aromas. Smooth texture, pure, fresh strawberry fruit. 20% new oak. 12.8-13º alcohol. (88-90)
2018 Marsannay Les Longeroies
Black pepper nose. Mouth of strawberry and black pepper, smooth texture. about 25% new oak. (89-91)
2018 Fixin vieilles vignes
Darker fruit, smooth, elegant, long. This comes from the southern part of the appellation which Arnaud says gives less rustic wine than the northern part. A little whole cluster in this wine. (89-92)
2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Mes Cinq Terroirs
Dark fruits, purity, complexity, finesse for Gevrey, freshness, but still some wood showing (1/3 new wood). (91-93)
2018 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Beaux Bruns
Elegant compared to the Gevrey (both the one above and those under Arnaud’s name which I subsequently will review). Dark fruits, depth, powerful, but four-square compared to the Gevreys. 60% new oak, 30% whole clusters (but with stems removed). (91-93)
2018 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
Spicy red fruit nose. In mouth, dark fruits, racy, energetic, fresh, and medium-weight. 30% whole clusters. Arndaud says this makes a wine that can be drunk at any age. (92-94)
2018 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Champeaux
Dark and red cherry fruits, oak still showing, smooth texture, light on tongue but not high energy -- an introspective wine. Fresh, elegant. About 30% whole clusters, 60% new oak. (92-95)
2018 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaux-Saint-Jacques
Freshness, red and dark fruits, some licorice, but the vintage has eliminated the usual minerality and tension. Attractive, if not fully typical. All destemmed fruit, 70% new oak, 13.4-5º alcohol, pH at harvest of 3.20 and after malo 3.45. (92-95)
2018 Clos-Vougeot
Dark fruits, red and black raspberry, depth, power but also elegance, good length. Good precision. 40% whole cluster, 70% new oak. (93-95)
2018 Echézeaux
Dark spicy fruits, sensual texture, intense, deep, concentrated. From the En Orveaux lieu-dit; Arnaud says that the vines were in good shape when he took them over. 70% new oak here, a little bit of whole clusters. (93-96)
2018 Mazis-Chambertin
Dark, exotic plum and berry fruits typical of Mazis-Chambertin, dense, deep, penetrating, long. The vines are 60-70 years old, but here Arnaud says that the vines were not in good shape when he took it over. 30-40% whole clusters, 70% new oak. (93-96)
2018 Bonnes-Mares
Pure, airy red fruits in the nose. A little grapy on the palate but with finesse. This wine needs more time in barrel, though. From the middle of the slope on white soils, vines are about 70 years-old. A little whole cluster here. (93-96)
2018 Chambertin
Depth, freshness, purity, red fruits, energy, precision. Classic Chambertin. More than 50% whole clusters, 100% new oak, 13.3-4º alcohol. (95-98)