2010 Clos Vougeot

(100% new oak): Good medium red. Very ripe aromas of cherry, licorice and coffee. Juicy and vibrant in the mouth, with perfumed flavors of raspberry, red cherry and rose petal complemented but not overwhelmed by spicy oak. Sappy wine with lovely energy and a light touch, not to mention suave tannins. Perhaps the most perfumed Clos Vougeot to date here. Mortet told me he did a very gentle extraction to avoid getting "the rustic side of the terroir ."

The 2010 Clos de Vougeot is striking for its purity and length. There is marvelous tension in the fruit, not to mention considerable energy on the finish. This is an incredibly sexy, polished, understated Clos de Vougeot. The 100% new oak is totally integrated. Anticipated maturity: 2025-2040. Arnaud Mortet is focused on making elegant, refined wines. In 2010 he sought to achieve that through gentle extraction and less use of new oak barrels, which is broadly the direction his winemaking is headed, notwithstanding the many particulars that present themselves each year. Mortet planned to age the 2010s fifteen months in barrel, then rack the wines into steel. Yields are of course down across the board, but that won’t be much of a surprise to readers given the vintage. Overall, the Mortet 2010s are striking for their beauty and transparency. The 2009 also showed brilliantly from bottle. I will report on those wines in the April issue. Importer: Martine’s Wines, Novato, CA; tel. (415) 883-0400

The 2010 Clos de Vougeot is striking for its purity and length. There is marvelous tension in the fruit, not to mention considerable energy on the finish. This is an incredibly sexy, polished, understated Clos de Vougeot. The 100% new oak is totally integrated. Anticipated maturity: 2025-2040. Feb 2012, www.robertparker.com