Cuvée de Noble Souche is Domaine Denis Mortet's Bourgogne Rouge, grown on high ground at Daix, just outside Dijon. The 2023 gives a clear, fresh read on the house style at the regional level.
About This Wine
The fruit comes from about one hectare in Daix, the Mortet family's home village north-west of Dijon. At around 400 metres the vines ripen slowly on brown, very chalky soil with bedrock close to the surface, which keeps the wine lively. They average 35 years or more. The grapes are mostly destemmed and fermented with native yeasts, and the wine spends 18 months in barrel, about a fifth of them new, before bottling without fining or filtration. 2023 was a large, ripe vintage, and the altitude here helped hold on to freshness.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Bright strawberry and red cherry with a hint of dark berry and fresh spice.
- Palate: Light to medium in weight, juicy and straight, with silky tannin and brisk acidity.
- Finish: Clean and refreshing, with red fruit and a faint chalky note.
Serving & Food
Open now or over the next five years or so. Serve slightly cool, around 15°C; on a warm Hong Kong evening a short spell in the fridge does no harm. No decanting needed. Charcuterie, roast pork belly, grilled mushrooms or a simple roast chicken are all easy matches.
How to Enjoy
Everyday Pinot Noir with a top Gevrey name behind it, and a good way to learn the Mortet style before moving to the village wines.
Product Details
Producer: Domaine Denis Mortet
Wine: Bourgogne Rouge Cuvée de Noble Souche
Vintage: 2023
Appellation: Bourgogne AOC
Region: Burgundy, France
Grape variety: Pinot Noir
Bottle size: 750mL
About the Maison
Charles Mortet planted his first hectare in Gevrey-Chambertin in 1956 and sold his grapes to négociants. His son Denis joined in 1978 with his wife Laurence and, when the family vines were divided in 1991, set up his own domaine. Through the 1990s he made it a closely watched name in the Côte de Nuits, known then for deep, concentrated wines. After Denis died in 2006 his son Arnaud took over, working with Laurence and his sister Clémence. Arnaud has moved to shorter, gentler macerations and less new oak, and the domaine now farms about 16 hectares across Gevrey, Chambolle, Vougeot, Fixin and Marsannay, largely by organic methods.