Half whole bunch, 10% new wood. Beautiful ruby with a pinkish tinge and the usual exquisite bouquet from these grapes. Fluid and graceful, a little riper in fruit style at the finish. Medium density, lovely. Drink from 2027-2030. Tasted Nov 2024.

Mortet's 2023 Bourgogne Cuvée de Noble Souche bursts with aromas of red berries, plums and petals, followed by a medium-bodied, soft and succulent palate that's suave and saline. This will drink well on release. This is once again a strong vintage for Domaine Denis Mortet, where Arnaud Mortet presides over an impressive palette of some of the Côte de Nuits's greatest appellations. Soils are cultivated mechanically, canopies are hedged high and late (at 1.5 meters, more or less the limit of an over-row tractor), and deleafing is thoughtful rather than systematic. In the winery, Mortet increasingly emphasizes manually processed grapes, with the rachis of each cluster cut out by hand, leaving berries on their pedicels intact. In the cellar, François Frères is ceding ground to Cavin—but without any concomitant shift in style in the direction of the overtly meretricious. The result? Wines that are supple and perfumed, with plenty of depth and flesh at the core, without any structural asperity. They can be drunk young—as no doubt they are drunk by many consumers today—but will age with grace too. In short, Mortet is at the top of his game today and settled into his contemporary style, and everything reviewed here comes recommended. Mortet reported conducting an extensive green harvest in the summer. He began picking on September 10th, and he used less new oak than ever before, acquiring some second-hand used barrels and retaining three-year-old barrels from 2021.(WK)

The 2023 Bourgogne Rouge includes 50% whole bunch with 10% new oak, a little less than usual. The nose is open with red cherries and crushed strawberry fruit. The palate is well balanced with brambly red fruit and a nicely poised finish.(NM)