Arnaud Mortet, his sister Clemence and their mother Laurence make a close and formidable team, dexterously managing the multitude of small plots at this top family domaine. In Arnaud’s words. ‘Before being made in the cellar, the wine is made in the vineyard with supple and impeccable soils, which allow the vines to take root deeply. I thank my father and my grandfather who understood all this a long time ago’. They gave up on most chemicals long ago, and rely on indigenous yeast in the winery. More recently, Arnaud has been ploughing a lot less; he argues that less ploughing ultimately leads to smaller grapes, and a better juice-to-material ratio. In fact, it is striking how willing Arnaud is to explore and embrace change. Recent vintages have seen a lot more use of whole bunch, and rather less new oak. The whole bunch is about freshness and expanded aromatics; the dialling back of new wood is about letting the fruit shine through.

Not content with managing the Denis Mortet domaine, and buoyed by the arrival of his sister, in 2016 Arnaud Mortet decided he needed an extra challenge. And so he adopted four hectares of mostly old vines from a retiring vigneron, and now manages the vineyards, buys the fruit, and makes the wines. It is technically a negociant operation, but everything about it is exactly in line with practice for the domaine wines. In some ways it is the more interesting project! The wines have very much converged with the Denis Mortet range over the last few vintages, and sit seamlessly alongside them when tasting. (NT 07/08/23)