| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Burgundy > Côte de Nuits > Gevrey-Chambertin |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
Subtle but not invisible wood frames the layered and complex nose of dark berry fruit, stone, herbal tea and distinctly sauvage aromas. There is good volume and excellent power to the dense and serious mineral-inflected medium weight flavors that deliver impressive length on the balanced finish. This terrific effort is a lovely combination of moderate refinement with excellent power and persistence. One to look for.
The 2012 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaux St-Jacques comes from 5 parcels totaling around 1.5-hectares and is aged in 60% new oak, whereby Arnaud tries to combine the different types of soil. It has an earthier, more forest-floor influenced bouquet that pierces the black and red fruits. The palate is lively on the entry with a gentle grip. This is very fresh and lithe, handling the new oak with style and departing with an effervescent kiss on the finish. This is both delicious and entrancing.
(70% new oak; cropped at 35 hectoliters per hectare): Distinctly wilder on the nose than the foregoing samples, offering blackberry and game aromas. Dense, silky, very ripe and deep, with a distinctly glyceral, creamy character to the palate-saturating dark fruit flavors. Finishes with outstanding breadth, suave tannins and explosive fruit. Due to the high percentage of millerande grapes, the potential alcohol here was 12.7%, the highest ripeness that Arnaud Mortet can recall for this premier cru. This beauty leaves the taste buds quivering.
The Gevrey-Chambertin Lavaux St.-Jacques takes hold of the palate and never lets up. At once explosive yet inward, the 2012 boasts superb depth and concentration. Today, it comes across as quite raw in its unbridled energy. This should be fabulous once the tannins soften. Sweet, floral notes add an attractive element of lift as the wine opens up in the glass. A wine of volume, the 2012 is going to need at least a few years to come together. Arnaud Mortet gave this fruit a few extra days on the vine to achieve more phenolic ripeness. The results speak for themselves.
