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