This year, the 2021 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru includes Champonnets, and Mortet tells me that it was largely processed by hand, with the clusters cut up and only the berries on their pedicels retained. Exhibiting aromas of sweet berries, orange rind, warm spices and vine smoke, it's medium to full-bodied, supple and seamless, with a perfumed core of fruit, powdery tannins and an expansive finish.

The 2020 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru wafts from the glass with aromas of cherries, wild berries, warm spices, orange rind and a deft application of creamy new oak. Medium to full-bodied, layered and multidimensional, it's deep and concentrated, with velvety tannins, lively acids and a beautifully integrated, complete profile. For some 70% of this cuvée, Mortet's team processed the harvest manually, cutting out the clusters' central rachis while retaining the grapes and their pedicels intact. The result is the best rendition of this cuvée to date.

As usual, Mortet blended his holdings in Petite Chapelle, Cherbaudes and Bel-Air to produce the 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru, a fine bottling in the making, exhibiting aromas of red berries, forest floor, orange rind and black truffle. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, elegant and integrated, with powdery tannins and a lively core of fruit.

The 2017 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru is also very expressive, bursting with aromas of orange rind, peony and wild berries. On the palate, the wine is medium-bodied, pure and satiny, with a layered mid-palate, good depth and concentration and an elegant, fragrant profile. Mortet opted to manually cut out the central stems for one-quarter of this cuvée, retaining the pedicels.

The 2016 Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru includes the fruit from Champonnet this year, as there was only single barrel, 50% whole bunch with 50% new oak. It has a very perfumed bouquet with violet scents infusing the dark cherry, wild strawberry and boysenberry fruit, blossoming in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannin, beautifully integrated new oak with a poised, tensile and sustained finish that is pure class. Bon vin.