Clos de Tart, Mommessin 2015

The 2015 Clos de Tart Grand Cru is a monumental young wine, opening in the glass with a brooding bouquet of wild berries, peony, orange rind, licorice, espresso roast and spice. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, powerful and multidimensional, with an enormous core of vibrant fruit, an ample chassis of fine tannins and a beautiful line of acidity. While the vintage has brought an extra dimension of concentration and power to this Clos de Tart, it remains wonderfully controlled through the long, palate-staining finish, and the terroir—including its proximity to Bonnes Mares—is front and center. With his first solo vintage at Clos de Tart, Jacques Desvauges has evidently hit the ground running. Cropped at 22 hectoliters per hectare, vinified with 40% whole cluster, and aged in 80% new wood.

The 2015 Clos de Tart Grand Cru was tasted both as separate cuvées from individual parcels around the vineyard (always a stimulating and insightful exercise) and of course, as the final blend, assembled in the same proportion as eventually bottled. It has a classic bouquet, a mixture of red and black fruit, hints of dried rose petals in a vase and a distant sea-spray scent that becomes more accentuated with time in the glass. There is a sense of restraint here, keeping lock and key on the precocity of the growing season. The palate is very well balanced with a superb line of razor-sharp acidity, palpable "coolness" imparted by the assiduous early picking. It is equipped with fine tannin, imbued with natural poise and gathers more black fruit towards the finish that offers a subtle slate-like note. It is one of the best I have tasted from this ancient vineyard, so assured and regal, destined to last more than 30 years with ease.