Clos de Tart 2020 Vintage En primeur

CLOS DE TART 2020 VINTAGE, EN PRIMEUR EXCLUSIVE TO CORNEY & BARROW IN THE UK

“Energy, structure – vins de garde, for sure. I love the tannins of the 2020s. For me, 2020 is one step above 2019.”

ALESSANDRO NOLI, WINEMAKER, NOVEMBER 2021

Clos de Tart, Photo credit: Serge Chapuis

IN THE GROOVE Following the 2018 acquisition of Clos de Tart by the Pinault family’s Artémis Domaines, the domaine has never been on better form.

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2020 is winemaker Alessandro Noli’s first truly complete vintage, following his arrival at the domaine in March 2019.

With the pristine new vat room (pictured below) bedded in, the next building projects are a tasting room and entertaining spaces.

With the purchase of Clos de Tart in 2018, the largest of Burgundy’s grands crus monopoles, the Pinault family became only the fourth owners since the estate belonged to the nuns of Nôtre-Dame de Tart in the 12th century.

On our recent trip to Bordeaux, we caught up with some of the Artémis Domaines team at Château Latour. The ability to make wine at the very highest level in such diverse corners of France is truly impressive (the roster also includes Domaine d’Eugénie in Vosne-Romanée and Château Grillet in the northern Rhône).

Since our first vintage as exclusive UK agent in 2007, we have witnessed Clos de Tart’s rise to the top echelons of Burgundy. In the hands of Managing Director Frédéric Engerer, Sales & Marketing Director Jean Garandeau and winemaker Alessandro Noli, the enviable terroir of Clos de Tart has found its groove.

GUY SEDDON, FINE WINE BUYER June 2022

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Clos de Tart Cuverie, Photo credit: Michel Joly

HISTORY Today’s Clos de Tart was acquired in 1141 by the Cistercian nunnery of Nôtre-Dame de Tart.

Originally called La Forge, the wall around the vineyard was built in the 15th century, entitling it to be called a clos.

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Clos de Tart was confiscated from the Church following the 1789 French Revolution and in 1791 acquired uncontested at auction by local wine merchant NicolasJoseph Marey. At the same auction the Marey family, later Marey-Monge, bought the entire Romanée-SaintVivant vineyard.

The second change in ownership, in 1932, took place against a backdrop of global depression. Clos de Tart was bought by the Mommessin family, again at auction, for 400,000 francs. The Mommessins ran a successful négociant house in Mâcon, which was eventually sold to Boisset in the 1990s.

Jules Lavalle’s 1855 Plan Topographique of the Côte d’Or named one Tête de Cuvée vineyard in Morey-SaintDenis: Clos de Tart. In part thanks to this, Clos de Tart was granted Burgundy’s highest status in the grand cru decree of 1939.

Following the bestowal of grand cru status in 1939, the Clos’ wall was extended to include some adjoining vines.

In 1965-6, an additional 0.278 hectares was added from Bonnes-Mares: vines which, despite being in ChambolleMusigny, were within the walls of the Clos.

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Clos de Tart, Photo credit: Serge Chapuis

THE VINEYARD Clos de Tart is the largest of Burgundy’s grands crus monopoles and the only one in Morey-Saint-Denis.

Behind the white limestone walls of the domaine, sloping up and away from the Route des Grands Crus, are the 7.53 hectares of Clos de Tart.

The gently sloping vineyard faces east, making it something of an anomaly in the village. The vines run north-south, perpendicular to the slope rather than up and down.

As well as giving a unique sun exposure, this protects against erosion.

Although this is one contiguous vineyard, the soil composition varies greatly. The map opposite shows the various plots, which are vinified as separate cuvées, before being blended around a month before bottling.

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The Clos’ clay-limestone soils comprise three distinct soil types, from three geological eras. The first of these is calcaires à entroques, loose limestone-rich fossilised marine animals. Second is white marl, a deep layer of which runs through the mid-slope section. Finally, there is a layer of very hard, compacted Prémeaux limestone. The cuvées change every year, but there is some correlation with these soil types.

The average vine age is over 60 years, with some vines being over 100 years old. The domaine has a nursery at the bottom of the village which provides new vines when replanting is necessary.

Planting density is high: 11,000 vines per hectare on average, with the younger vines having been planted at 12,500. The resulting competition for nutrients encourages the roots to dig deeper. Only the five best bunches per vine are retained during green harvesting in August.

The Clos has practised organic viticulture since 2015, with 2018 being the first vintage to have been certified organic.

It was also certified biodynamic in 2019, having introduced biodynamic practices in 2016.

Production tends to average 23-30 hectolitres per hectare (hl/ha). 2016 was the domaine’s largest crop since 1999, at 35 hl/ha. 2017 and 2018 both came in at 32 hl/ha and 2019 at 30 hl/ha. By comparison, 2020 was painfully below average, at a mere 19.7 hl/ha.

This strategic plan of the sub-sectors within the Clos is based on criteria including soil composition (more or less limestone or marl, the source and quality of the plant material (massal selection or clones), type of pruning (Guyot or Cordon de Royat) and vine age. The colours denote the intended destination of the grapes from each plot.

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THE CELLAR “Lots of concentration – the idea was to keep the freshness.”

ALESSANDRO NOLI, NOVEMBER 2021 2020 was the second vintage made in the new vat room, which was built following the purchase by Artémis Domaines. 15 new wooden vats of varying sizes, ranging from 20 to 40 hectolitres (hL), have replaced the old 50hL stainless steel vats. Made by the Taransaud cooperage, these enable greater winemaking precision and vinification on a plot-by-plot basis.

Whole bunch vinification has long been used at the Clos, the proportion varying in accordance with the vintage conditions. There are no plans to alter this, although a study with Bordeaux University was started in 2019 to determine the ideal percentage of whole bunches in each of the newly-identified plots.

In 2020, 55% whole bunches were used for Clos de Tart and 15% for Forge de Tart. The village wine, MoreySaint-Denis de Clos de Tart, which has been reserved for restaurants, was entirely destemmed.

A cold chamber was installed in the cellar in July 2021, enabling pre-fermentation cold maceration at optimal temperatures. Gentle extraction is key for Alessandro Noli, in line with his pursuit of elegance.

The individual cuvées are aged separately for around 18 months in oak, 70% new in 2020 for the grand vin and 50% new for La Forge. Blending takes place one month before bottling.

Alessandro Noli, Photo credit: Brice Braastad

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THE 2020 GROWING SEASON THE YEAR IN NUMBERS Bud-burst 4th April (2019: 2nd April) --Full Flowering 20th May (2019: 6th June) --Harvest 24th - 28th August (2019: 13th - 19th September)

Yield 19.7 hl/ha (2019: 30 hl/ha) --Whole bunch fermentation: 55% for Clos de Tart and 15% for Forge de Tart (same as 2019) --•New oak: 70% for Clos de Tart and 50% for Forge de Tart (same as 2019)

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Clos de Tart, Photo credit: Serge Chapuis

A year characterised by extreme heat and drought, 2020 will go down in the record books as a historically early vintage.

January aside, winter 2019-20 was wet and mild. February in particular was warmer than average and this, coupled with the abundant soil water reserves, led to a very early budbreak, just as in 2019. Indeed, some of the first buds were spotted on 4th April in the early-budding, Cordonpruned zones.

There was less rainfall in March than normal. High temperatures throughout April led to rapid vegetative growth and shoot development was so advanced by 30th April that the vintage was shaping up to be one of the earliest of the decade.

The warmer-than-average weather continued into May. The first flowers were spotted as early as 20th May, two weeks earlier than in 2019.

Over the next week, flowering continued amid optimal conditions.

Despite the extreme water stress of the very hot and dry summer, the vines developed normally up until harvest.

Thanks to these dry conditions, downy mildew was not a threat in 2020. Powdery mildew did put some pressure on the vineyard teams, but the risk was contained and the vines were perfectly healthy as harvest approached.

Picking started three weeks earlier than in 2019, on 24th August and lasted five days. Each sub-plot of the Clos was harvested once deemed ready. The heat continued during harvest, so the new cold chamber installed in the cellar in July was a real asset. It meant that the grapes could be sorted at the right temperature and that a higher-quality pre-fermentation cold soak could occur.

The wines will be bottled in summer 2022.

TASTING NOTES CLOS DE TART, GRAND CRU MONOPOLE As the map of the sub-parcels shows, Clos de Tart’s components are like the pieces in a fiendishly tricky jigsaw puzzle. The oldest vines are over 100 years old; the average is over 60. Profound, inviting ruby in colour, with aromas of violet, rose, prune and raspberry. The playful, perfumed delicacy carries through onto the palate, which is vivacious and light on its feet. Winemaker Alessandro Noli has managed to make the powerful terroir of the Clos dance. The muscular tannins have an elegant fruit patina, only really showing their force on the finish, in a fine textural grip. 55% whole bunch fermentation, 70% new oak, 14% abv.

Corney & Barrow Score 19 Recommended drinking from 2030 - 2045+

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£1,850/Case of 3 bottles, in bond UK £1,250/Case of 1 magnum, in bond UK £2,650/Case of 1 jeroboam, in bond UK

LA FORGE DE TART, MOREY-SAINT-DENIS PREMIER CRU La Forge de Tart comes from around 20% of the total area of the Clos, specifically from three plots planted in 1999, 2005 and 2011. In 2020, the 1999 plot (the eponymous ‘La Forge’) was vinified separately as it is almost ready for inclusion in the grand vin. Dark, bosky aromas of blackberry, undergrowth and forest floor. With time in the glass, beautiful sappy whole-bunch spices emerge. The palate is finely detailed, with filigree tannins providing an elegant supporting chassis for the rich, dark berry fruit. A serious (seriously good) Forge. 15% whole bunch fermentation, 50% new oak, 14% abv.

Corney & Barrow Score 18 Recommended drinking from 2025 - 2032 £1,160/Case of 6 bottles, in bond UK

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ALLOCATION PROCESS To order, please call 020 7265 2430 (London) or 01875 321 921 (Edinburgh).

Please bear in mind that: • Clos de Tart’s and Corney & Barrow’s focus is on the private customer as a consumer, rather than as a speculator.

• The wines of Clos de Tart are bought on the clear understanding that they will be stored and delivered in the UK only.

• Should you wish to sell the wines in the future, do please offer Corney & Barrow first refusal.

• Priority will be given to Clos de Tart’s and Corney & Barrow’s best, most loyal and most regular customers.

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May we please have your order by Thursday 23rd June 2022.

Allocations will be completed by Thursday 30th June 2022.

Confirmation of order will be through receipt of invoice and the wines will be delivered or put into your reserve upon payment and once the wines have arrived in the UK. All orders are conditional upon UK storage only. May we please request that invoices are paid in full by Thursday 28th July 2022.

Tasting Guide Our tasting notes provide full details but, at your request, we have also introduced a clear and simple marking system. We hope these guidelines assist you in your selection.

Wines are scored out of 20. Customers seem to like it and it has the benefit of simplicity. We will often use a range of scores (e.g. 16.5 to 17) to indicate the potential to achieve a higher mark. When a ‘+’ is shown it adds further to that potential. Wines from lesser vintages will, inevitably, show a lower overall score.

Wines are judged, in a very broad sense, against their peers.

Why? Well, you cannot easily compare a Ford with an Aston Martin, other than they are both cars and have wheels. It is not that different with wine.

A score is a summary only. The devil is in the detail, so please focus on the tasting notes and, as always, speak to our sales team.

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CONTACT US

LONDON 1 Thomas More Street London E1W 1YZ T +44 (0)20 7265 2400 sales@corneyandbarrow.com

NORTH OF ENGLAND Sedbury Stables, Sedbury Hall Richmond, North Yorkshire DL10 5LQ T +44 (0)1748 828 640 sedburyorders@corneyandbarrow.com

EAST ANGLIA Belvoir House, High Street Newmarket, Suffolk CB8 8DH T +44 (0)1638 600 000 newmarket@corneyandbarrow.com

EDINBURGH Oxenfoord Castle by Pathhead Midlothian, Scotland EH37 5UB T +44 (0)1875 321 921 edinburgh@corneyandbarrow.com

AYR 8 Academy Street, Ayr Ayrshire, Scotland KA7 1HT T +44 (0)1292 267 000 ayr@corneyandbarrow.com

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