Mommessin
Clos de Tart Grand Cru
Clos de Tart Grand Cru, France
2010
Vintage
Varietal
Pinot Noir
ABV
13.5%
Where it is, November 2026
Timing: no opening or peak years have been established for this vintage.
The ‘10 Clos de Tart Grand Cru.
Just entering peak in 2026, the Mommessin Clos de Tart 2010 is the finest Mommessin-era Grand Cru still at the beginning of its development - concentrated dark cherry, iron, and formidable structure with decades ahead.
Drinking window
No Cellared drinking-window estimate is available for this wine.
Tasting note
The 2010 Mommessin Clos de Tart pours a deep, still-vivid garnet with minimal rim evolution - a younger appearance than its sixteen years would suggest, evidence of the vintage's structural power preserving the fruit. On the nose, the wine is rich and complex: dark cherry, ripe plum, and a hint of dried blackberry lead the primary profile, layered with iron-mineral and the clay-earth character of the monopole terroir and the first emerging notes of leather and cedar that signal the transition to peak maturity. The mid-palate is dense and layered - dark fruit, iron ore, damp clay - and the finish is long and persistent, with a mineral cedar note that extends well past the swallow. Among Mommessin-era Clos de Tart bottles, the 2010 is the most complete - structured, concentrated, and still meaningfully developing.
The 2010 vintage
The 2010 Burgundy vintage followed a growing season of marked contrasts: a cool, wet spring that delayed budbreak and slowed early vine development gave way to a warm, dry summer with exceptional diurnal temperature variation - warm days building ripeness, cool nights preserving the natural acidity that defines the vintage. Harvest came in late September under dry conditions, with grapes that had achieved full physiological maturity without the shriveling or botrytis pressure that had challenged the difficult 2008 vintage two years prior. The Wine Spectator awarded 2010 Burgundy 94 points, characterizing the vintage as showing 'ripe fruit and tannins, vivid acidity' - a description that distinguishes it from the richer, softer 2009 that preceded it. In Morey-Saint-Denis, the vintage's acidity and structure found full expression at the Grand Cru level; Clos de Tart, as a single-owner vineyard, was harvested at consistent ripeness across the entire estate, benefiting from the monopole's management flexibility in a vintage that rewarded precise timing. See the Burgundy cellar guide and all Pinot Noir cellar guides for broader context.
About Mommessin
The Mommessin family's tenure at Clos de Tart from 1932 to 2018 established the estate as the reference point for traditional monopole winemaking in Morey-Saint-Denis - a philosophy that began in the vineyard rather than the cellar. The primary quality lever during the Mommessin era was low yields: meticulous farming to restrict crop load and concentrate flavor in fewer, more expressive grapes rather than relying on cellar techniques to compensate for excessive production. In the winery, fermentation included a meaningful proportion of whole clusters rather than fully destemmed fruit, a traditional approach that slows fermentation and builds aromatic complexity through carbonic maceration in the uncrushed berries. Aging took place in Burgundian pieces with a conservative percentage of new barrels - a choice that allowed the clos's iron-mineral terroir character to emerge undisguised by wood. The clos itself - east-facing, thin topsoil over limestone bedrock, with vine roots penetrating deep into iron-rich subsoil - produces wines of natural structure that the minimal-intervention Mommessin approach preserved rather than altered. The 2010 represents the culmination of this philosophy: a great vintage meeting the traditional approach at the estate's finest terroir expression. Explore sibling vintages at the Mommessin Clos de Tart 2002 and 2008.
Pairing suggestions
Cellared suggestions based on the wine and dish descriptions.
Braised beef short rib with root vegetable puree
Firm tannins (level 7) and concentrated dark fruit handle short rib richness; vivid acidity (level 7) lifts the palate after each rich bite, and the iron-mineral character echoes earthy root vegetable accompaniment.
Seared duck breast with cherry and beet gastrique
Ripe dark cherry and iron ore in the 2010 align with cherry gastrique's fruit-acid balance; firm integrated tannins (level 7) provide structure alongside duck fat in a way the leaner 2008 cannot.
Aged Burgundian washed-rind cheese - Epoisses or Ami du Chambertin
The wine's formidable body (level 6) and tannin structure (level 7) balance the powerful pungency of Grand Cru washed-rind cheese; acidity cuts through cheese fat where a lighter wine would be overwhelmed.
Service & cellaring
- Serving Temp
- 62-65F (17-18C)
- Decanting
- Decant two hours in 2026. Just entering peak, the 2010 retains formidable tannin structure (level 7) and benefits from extended decanting to soften the still-firm framework and open the complex aromatic profile. Post-2030, reduce to one hour as the wine becomes more immediately expressive.
- Cellar Storage
- 55F (13C), 60-70% humidity, bottle on its side.
More from Clos de Tart Grand Cru, France
Frequently Asked
When should I open the Mommessin Clos de Tart 2010?
A Cellared drinking-window estimate is unavailable.
How long should I decant this powerful Grand Cru?
Two full hours in 2026. The 2010 Clos de Tart retains formidable tannin structure (level 7) and vivid acidity - it is at the beginning of its peak, not yet fully open. Extended decanting is essential to soften the structure and allow the complex aromatic profile to emerge. Pour into a wide-bowled decanter, allow two hours, and continue to assess in the glass as it opens further over dinner. Post-2030 one hour of decanting will likely suffice as the wine becomes more expressive with age.
What food pairs best with such a structured, concentrated Clos de Tart?
Braised beef short rib, seared duck breast, or aged Burgundian washed-rind cheeses are ideal. The 2010's firm tannins (level 7) and concentrated dark fruit demand food with substance - lean proteins or delicate preparations will be overwhelmed. The wine's iron-mineral and dark cherry character works particularly well alongside umami-rich preparations: mushroom sauces, root vegetable purees, meat braised in red wine.
Is this the finest Mommessin-era Clos de Tart vintage currently in peak window?
The 2010 is widely considered the greatest Mommessin-era Clos de Tart in the current cellar window - the 2010 Burgundy vintage provided exceptional raw material, and the traditional Mommessin approach at this terroir produced a wine of rare structural depth and aging potential extending to 2045. The 2002 is more evolved and immediately expressive at full maturity; the 2010 is the superior long-term cellaring choice with far more development ahead.