Clos de Tart Vertical

8 June 2012
Author: Jeannie Cho Lee


It is a real treat to taste a vertical of Burgundy, especially one like Clos de Tart which enjoys the reputation of being among the longest lived and the largest grand cru monopole in the Cote d’Or. There are only six grand cru monopoles in Burgundy including Clos the Tart; the others are La Romanee, La Grande Rue, La Tache, Romanee-Conti and Clos des Lambrays. This 7 hectare domaine, founded in 1141, has belonged to three owners and since 1932, it has been in the Mommessin family.

 

This tasting occurred November 2009 at the cellar of Clos de Tart and I have added the wine notes into my database but never presented them in this form where I select the top 27 vintages tasted among a vertical of 57. It was an impressive tasting that came in well-timed flights that allowed us to reflect and write detailed notes about each wine. I was impressed by both the consistency and quality of the wine, especially over the past twenty years. I have added commentary from recent tasting notes of the same wine where relevant.

 

1. 2005 Mommessin – Clos de Tart Grand Cru, Burgundy, France

A wonderful wine with great potential. Very long finish with tannins and acidity that carry the fruit all the way to the end. Full and rich, this wine’s power arises from the density of fruit, intense spices, and concentration on the palate. Surprisingly light in colour compared to the 2003. Enjoy in another 5-7 years; keep for at least 10.(96)

 

2. 2003 Mommessin – Clos de Tart Grand Cru, Burgundy, France 

A punchy, big wine that does not sufficiently show its terroir character. Dark ruby colour uncharacteristic of a Pinot Noir. Ripe, almost confectionary fruit has great density and impact on the palate but lacks finesse and lightness; it is even a touch alcoholic on the finish. Nonetheless, very intense and will be appealing very early.(91)

 

3. 2002 Mommessin – Clos de Tart Grand Cru, Burgundy, France

A powerful and elegant wine that has linearity with a lift at the end supported by ripe silky tannins. Racy acidity with focused, precise fruit of sweet red berries and spices. Floral aromatics makes for an enticing nose, while attractive hints of earth and game add an extra dimension. Still youthful, it will be ready in 4-6 years.(95)

 

4. 2001 Mommessin – Clos de Tart Grand Cru, Burgundy, France

Light ruby with attractive mixed berry fruit and spice but insufficient flesh compared to the previous vintages. Well-balanced, ripe flavours with a nice floral length. Lean and delicate, good for early drinking.(90)

 

5. 2000 Mommessin – Clos de Tart Grand Cru, Burgundy, France

Lush, generous, and already enjoyable though still young. Medium to light ruby, ripe and opulent with sweet generous fruit. Rich, dense with a wonderful seamless texture. Very long on the finish. The wine is still a baby but the sweetness of the vintage is unmistakable. Will keep for 7-10 more years easily.(90)

 

6. 1999 Mommessin – Clos de Tart Grand Cru, Burgundy, France

Medium ruby with beautifully evolved fruit, nice minerality and linear focus to the fruit, acid and tannin balance. Additional gamey, leather and bottle-aged tertiary characteristics comes through on the palate. This is an elegant wine just reaching its peak with great length.(94)

 

7. 1997 Mommessin – Clos de Tart Grand Cru, Burgundy, France

A gentle, soft wine with some complexity and depth. It has a pale ruby garnet colour and a closed nose with hints of earth, stems and mushrooms. Nice sweetness on the palate, good balance with hints of flowers and dried rather than fresh fruit. Modest length, nice finish, and ready to drink.(91)

 

8. 1996 Mommessin – Clos de Tart Grand Cru, Burgundy, France

A powerful still youthful wine with great balance and precision. Medium ruby garnet, sweet lifted floral notes with good depth and hints of earth and tobacco. Nicely focused mixed berry fruit with amazing flavour dimensions that envelop the palate. Wonderful line, fine acidity, and amazing fruit intensity right to the finish.(95)

 

9. 1993 Mommessin – Clos de Tart Grand Cru, Burgundy, France

At its peak, this beautifully balanced light ruby garnet coloured wine possesses wonderful evolved characters with a delicate aroma and an ethereal fruit profile. Elegant, lightly flower-scented perfume with firm acidity and tannins. Will keep but not improve over the next 10 years.(91)

 

10. 1990 Mommessin – Clos de Tart Grand Cru, Burgundy, France

The ripe opulent vintage is apparent in this pale ruby garnet coloured wine. This wine has a seamless texture, sweet fruit profile and is powerful from beginning to end. The flavours are vibrant and lively with sweet red-berry fruits and an opulent texture followed by a long sweet finish. Very impressive wine.(97)

 

11. 1988 Mommessin – Clos de Tart Grand Cru, Burgundy, France

A wine at its peak with gentle fruit that is soft, delicate and wonderful from beginning to the end. The wine has a pale ruby garnet hue with a fading amber rim and an intense floral perfume of violets and rose petals. Great tannin texture, complex bottle-aged bouquet with great depth. Another bottle tasted more recently in Hong Kong in March 2012 was a bit more reserved and less intense than the bottle from Burgundy.(93)

 

12. 1987 Mommessin – Clos de Tart Grand Cru, Burgundy, France

Pale garnet with a fading rim, the 1987 is balanced and elegant. Dried fruit with hints of old wood and leather with silky texture. Wonderful to drink now; soft and easy wine that is shorter on the finish than the ‘88 but still hanging in there beautifully.(90)

 

13. 1986 Mommessin – Clos de Tart Grand Cru, Burgundy, France

Pale, pale garnet colour with a fading rim, this wine has a wonderfully delicate perfume of spices and a hint of truffles. Lean style at its peak, showing earthiness and leather with good acidity and lift. Ready to drink now.(90)

 

14. 1985 Mommessin – Clos de Tart Grand Cru, Burgundy, France

An impressively old wine with medium garnet colour with a fading rim. More vibrant than the ’86, with firm acidity and wonderful freshness in the fruit. Notes of dried flower petals, delicate, but with firm acidity and tannin backbone. Wine continues to evolve in the glass with a persistent finish. I suspect this wine will stay at this peak stage for quite some time and will be another decade before it starts to fade.(94)

 

15. 1979 Mommessin – Clos de Tart Grand Cru, Burgundy, France

The epitome of aged, evolved Burgundy. Pale, watery garnet hue with a fading rim, and a lovely exotic, spicy perfume. It is feminine and lively with aged characters but still alive and expressive. Fairly long finish – easy to drink an entire bottle of this silky nectar.(94)

 

16. 1974 Mommessin – Clos de Tart Grand Cru, Burgundy, France

Medium garnet-amber colour with a fading rim and very light intensity of aromatics of dried flowers. Persistent and evolved fruit with nice freshness and acidity in the background. The palate is lean rather than fleshy with a moderately long finish. Enjoy now.(90)

 

17. 1966 Mommessin – Clos de Tart Grand Cru, Burgundy, France

Medium garnet in colour, this wine has surprising life and vivacity. Sweet dried fruit on the nose with nice flesh and substance, sufficient to balance its firm acidity and tannins. An intense wine with great length with lingering dried fruit notes an hour later. Drink over the next 5-8 years.(91)

 

18. 1964 Mommessin – Clos de Tart Grand Cru, Burgundy, France

A very pale shade of garnet amber, this fragile and delicate wine is still very much alive and impressive. Surprising exotic spice notes expressing an array of Chinese tea leaves including Taiwanese oolong tea. Silky tannins and lovely fruit.(94)

 

19. 1962 Mommessin – Clos de Tart Grand Cru, Burgundy, France

A powerful wine of great intensity, length, and finish. Medium garnet amber colour. Very vibrant, perfumed nose of cherry cake with hints of dried flowers. Attractive fruit, acidity and tannins woven into a fine texture that has a long finish. Lingering sweet and dried fruit notes an hour after it was poured – very impressive!(96)

 

20. 1961 Mommessin – Clos de Tart Grand Cru, Burgundy, France

Wonderfully vivacious and alive, still amazing with a masculine and austere focus. Medium, slightly cloudy colour of garnet amber. Nose of dried pu-er tea leaves, intense dried fruit flavours and firm acid backbone. This is more austere and less generous than the 1961 but equally impressive. Alive and evolving in the glass well after an hour.(96)

 

21. 1959 Mommessin – Clos de Tart Grand Cru, Burgundy, France

Pale garnet brown, this wine has a muted nose but offers intense ethereal flavours on the palate. Very persistent dried fruit, mushrooms and some tobacco notes with a long finish.(94)

 

22. 1957 Mommessin – Clos de Tart Grand Cru, Burgundy, France

Pale amber in colour, sweet dried fruits with liquorice and tea leaf notes. The fruit is starting to dry out but there is enought substance to offer immediate drinking pleasure. Enjoy now.(90)

 

23. 1955 Mommessin – Clos de Tart Grand Cru, Burgundy, France

This domaine bottled wine is astounding with a very long finish. A pale garnet amber wine with beautiful sweet aromatic dried flowers, potpourri, gentle hints of tea leaves and herbs. Amazing detail, layers and persistence in this wine. (97)

 

24. 1952 Mommessin – Clos de Tart Grand Cru, Burgundy, France

Still vibrant with dense, ripe, and fleshy palate. Light garnet colour with lots of sediment. The palate has hints of soy sauce-braised meat flavours along with sweet dried fruits and tea leaf notes. Fairly long length. Ready to enjoy now.(91)

 

25. 1947 Mommessin – Clos de Tart Grand Cru, Burgundy, France

Wonderful, powerful and very long. A pale garnet colour with incredibly intense aromatics of spices and sweet dried frui on the nose. The palate offers a complex array of leather, game, clove and aniseed. Still youthful and intense after an hour.(97)

 

26. 1945 Mommessin – Clos de Tart Grand Cru, Burgundy, France

Medium garnet hue with a fading rim. This wine is amazingly young and an unconvincing ’45. Sweet potpourri on the nose with hints of dried red berries. This wine is still fresh, possesses good density, firm tannins and a grippy, tannic finish. Discussions evolved around what other wine (from Africa, southern France) this bottle might contain besides Clos de Tart.(93)

 

27. 1943 Mommessin – Clos de Tart Grand Cru, Burgundy, France

Light garnet colour and a nose of sweet dried fruits, hints of tobacco and sweet leather. Drying out on the palate but the aromas are appealing. The wine is starting to fade but there is enough flavours there to offer drinking pleasure.(90)

 

28. 1937 Mommessin – Clos de Tart Grand Cru, Burgundy, France

Surprisingly generous, intense, full and alive. Light medium garnet colour with jammy, confectionary, dried fruits on the nose. On the palate, the palate offers ripe figs, vanilla, cherry cake, and crème brulee. Wonderful aged Burgundy.(94)