The ‘10 Clos de Tart Grand Cru.

Drinking window

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. On the palate, the ground-truth notes describe 'the 2010 vintage's signature combination of formidable tannin structure and vibrant acidity' - and both remain fully present in 2026, the fruit genuine and ripe, the tannins (level 7) integrated but still providing structure, the acidity (level 7) running through the finish with a freshness that distinguishes 2010 from heavier, lower-acid warm vintages. 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](/wines/region/burgundy) and all [Pinot Noir cellar guides](/wines/varietal/pinot-noir) 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](/wines/mommessin/clos-de-tart-grand-cru/2002) and [2008](/wines/mommessin/clos-de-tart-grand-cru/2008).

From the cellar: pair with

• Burgundy 2020 vintage allocation guide

  Where the 2020 Burgundy vintage rewards cellar allocation, and which styles need the most patience.

• How long does Burgundy age?

  Burgundy drinking windows for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay by village, appellation, and vintage.

• Aging Burgundy Pinot

  Red Burgundy and Pinot Noir aging by tier.

• When to drink wine

  A practical guide to drinking windows, peak years, and deciding whether to hold or open a bottle.

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