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Viinin Kuvailu
The Story
Of all the villages of the Côte de Nuits, Morey-Saint-Denis is one of the most fruitful in terms of the number of its Grands Crus. The Clos de Tart, which remains a solely-held entity, was founded by the Cistercians of Tart in 1141. Since that date, it has been owned by only three families. The Clos Saint-Denis came on the scene in the 11th century, thanks to the fortress of Vergy. The Clos de la Roche and Clos des Lambrays are both semi-monopoles and both have long histories which have involved some adjustment of boundaries between Climats. The Clos de la Roche and Clos Saint-Denis were awarded their Grand Cru appellations on 8 December 1936, Clos de Tart on 4 January 1939, and Clos des Lambrays 27 April 1981.
Facing east or slightly south of east at around 250 metres above sea-level, these Climats may be seen as a southerly extension of the Grands Crus of Gevrey-Chambertin. First comes the Clos de la Roche, then Clos Saint-Denis followed by Clos des Lambrays, and finally Clos de Tart leading to Bonnes-Mares.
Limestone dominates in the Clos de la Roche where the soil is barely 30 cm deep with few pebbles but with large boulders which give the climat its name. In the Clos de Tart, scree-derived soils 40-120 cm thick cover the underlying limestone. The Upper part of the Clos des Lambrays is marly with claylimestone soil further down. The Clos Saint-Denis at the foot of the slope has pebble-free brown limestone soils which contain phosphorus (like Chambertin) and clay (like Musigny).
Diversity is to be expected as each Grand Cru has its own personality. To the eye, this wine is plain ruby, sometimes a bit darker. Veiled in strawberry and violet, the Clos de Tart offers both robustness and charm. Quite tannic when young, it softens with age while gaining in complexity. The Clos des Lambrays is a true aristocrat, fully rounded in youth and with added depth and gravity as the years go by. The Clos Saint-Denis impresses by its finely–tuned nuances – this wine is the Mozart of the Côte de Nuits. The Clos de la Roche is firmer, deeper and more serious, closely akin to Chambertin. Aromas of humus and truffle are often precursors to notes of small red or black fruits. A small part of the BONNES-MARES appellation lies in this commune, but the greater part is in Chambolle-Musigny. (See Fact-sheet No. 5).
Intense and full-bodied when fully mature, these wines have a densely tannic texture and an aromatic richness which makes them a fitting - and equal - partner for feathered game. They are perfect, too, with a rib steak and, for lovers of Asian cuisine, adapt well to the aromatic intensity of glazed poultry. Their supple but virile tannins go well with veal (braised or in sauce) and with roast or braised lamb. One must also not forget their invaluable affinity for strong-flavoured soft-centred cheeses.
Serving temperatures : 12 to 13 °C for young wines, 15 to 16 °C for older wines.
Wine Information
Tasting note
Intense aromas of graphite and mineral make an immediate impact, with black cherry, black currant and spice flavors adding depth and dimension. This has concentration and juicy texture, pushing the long, peppery aftertaste. Shows fine harmony and expression overall. Best from 2012 through 2024. 94/100 (Bruce Sanderson - Wine Spectator Insider - 04 août 2010).
Cropped at 27hl/ha, this has a very intriguing nose; much "controlled" than anticipated; not light, but very refined with great delineation, brambly red fruits, a hint of wild strawberry complemented by smoke/woodland. It is almost the antithesis of the 2003. The palate is medium-bodied, beautifully balanced, very feminine with wonderfully integrated new oak. I love the poise of this wine, wonderfully retrained, a paradigm of a "less is more" Pinot Noir. Wonderful structure on the finish that suggests this will be one of the longer lived wines of the vintage. Drink 2012-2020. 93/100. Tasted March 2009. (Neil Martin's Wine Journal)
Informations
The most important feature of year 2007 is earliness.
The full flowering of the grapes occurred on May 23rd about 3 weeks ahead thanks to an early spring season and an exceptionally warm April month as it totalled 20 days with temperatures reaching over 20°C (68°F) including 7 days at over 28°C (84°F) and only 1.2 mm rainfall.
This unusually early flowering in Burgundy led most of the winegrowers to start harvesting in August.
The Clos de Tart, always in favour of picking fully ripe grapes started harvesting on September 6th which was quite later than most of the other Domains of the Côte de Nuits. Nevertheless this harvesting campaign was still three weeks ahead of the average picking date.
Other harvests have started quite early in the past :
2003 harvesting date : September 2nd
2000 harvesting date : September 18th
1989 harvesting date : September 18th
1976 harvesting date : September 16th
1937 harvesting date : September 16th
Despite a gloomy summer season, the earliness of the growth cycle combined with a stringent annual work on the vines (de-budding, thinning and green harvest), the return of sunshine and dry weather from August 20th on, all these factors enabled us, after a drastic sorting out, to vat very ripe and healthy grapes.
Here are some of the main technical features of the 2007 Clos de Tart:
Flowering : May 6th
Véraison : mid-July (grapes turning to purple)
Beginning of harvesting : September 6th
Yield : 27 hl/ha = 1.40 tons/acre
End of malo-lactic fermentation: July 4th 2008
Average natural alcohol content : 13°66
Average Ph : 3.62
Ageing : 18 months in new oak
The bottling is planned for the beginning of April in our premises. As usual, this will be done without any fining or filtration, only by gravity and manually, bottle after bottle.
We will put on the market 18,300 bottles of Clos de Tart Grand Cru and 4,500 bottles of La Forge de Tart Premier Cru, the Clos de Tart second wine.
