Burgundy is in the Details: The Best of 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Have Blossomed and are Achieving Their Sultry and Nuanced Side at Their Greatest.

Véronique Boss-Drouhin, the talented winemaker from Maison Joseph Drouhin and Domain Drouhin Oregon, talks about the Burgundian triumvirate vintages of 2016, 2017 and 2018 like this: “Drink 2017 first, then 2016 after and 2018 drink anytime!”

This echoes our own assessment, particularly of the voluptuous 2018s. Nowhere on earth are the nuances of a vintage more scrutinized than in Burgundy, and this marvelous year has delivered a wine that performs on demand. Kudos for the trophy wines are a given, but this immediacy and drinkability extends to the regional wines, satellite appellations and everyday wines of the countryside. Balance is the Holy Grail of winemaking, and the Burgundies of 2018 display this quality—a harmony in sweetness and acidity, fruit and tannin, aroma and body.

Rich and concentrated with superb structural potential for maturation over many years, 2018 also promises to excel as a collectable.

The Rise of Neo-Traditionalists: Back to Quietude and Closer to Earlier View

If there is one thing that Burgundy’s post-modern traditionalists can agree upon is that the region, once known for a pronounced inconsistency from vintage to vintage (like the girl with the curl who was either very, very good or she was rotten), is facing a brave new climate. Each generation of vignerons wants to add something to the Burgundian equation, and as we reach the quarter-point in the 21st century, the prevailing attitude is that the best way to approach global warming is to cast off some of the shibboleths of the late twentieth century in favor of new techniques that take into account earlier harvests, prolonged periods of droughts and a surfeit of heat. Among the avenues being explored are shorter and lighter macerations, less intrusive cellar techniques, and particularly, the inclusion of stems during pressing—a method that enhances delicacy by reducing the contact time between the grape skins and the press and adds floral nuances to the wine.

Of course, better and more sustainable farming—the use of organics and working with the plant itself to control yields (green harvests and de-leafing) and in particular, a return to traditional clones—have all combined to make ‘méthode nouvelle’ a growing mirror to ‘méthode ancienne.’

An Evolving New Climate: Warming and Instability are New Territory

Notions of terroir—the unique soil, topography and climate of each vineyard—and a wine’s typicity, or how faithfully it reflects its origin and grape variety, are central to Burgundy’s identity. So much so that terroir and typicity are fundamental to how the region developed its hierarchy of crus, or demarcated vineyards also known as climats, classified by quality based on centuries of winegrowing history.

Climate is a large part of what defines terroir, and Burgundy is one of the world’s great archetypes for cool-climate viticulture. Whether red or white, classic Burgundian wines are distinguished by their finesse, raciness and pristine fruit profiles, a tension and verve attributed to grapes cultivated in cool climates.

Of course, like the rest of Burgundy, the story of modern Gevrey is inextricably linked to the weather. In 1831, Denis Morelot wrote, “The sun, with nothing to block its rays, spreads its rays beneficent warmth to all part of the Côte d’Or equally.”

Would that this had remained the case. Just as one afternoon milkshake is good, ten afternoon milkshakes in a row is demonstrably not good. The sun and its beneficent warmth has ratcheted up to unprecedented levels, and if this arc continues, by 2031 the Côte will be as warm as northern Rhône. The thought of Le Chambertin tearing out Pinot Noir vines in favor of Syrah is sobering indeed.

As in Bordeaux, Gevrey winemakers are strategizing every phase of their process, field to cellar. A lot of the new wisdom, ironically, originated in Napa, where the battle against heat and sun have been waged relentlessly since before the Civil War. The goal in California, and increasingly in France, is to ensure that grape sugar does not accumulate faster than the grapes can physically mature.

This is not to say that these changes are not without an unexpected quality boost here and there. Chaptalization—the process of adding sugar to raise brix levels—is becoming a thing of the past. Jeremy Seysses of Domaine Dujac says, “I’d say that so far, the warming up has benefitted Burgundy more than it has hurt us.”

A Riper Shade: Vintage 2018 is the New Normal

Calescent and copious—big words to describe a big vintage, equally fascinating and enjoyable for those who like potent, youthful Pinots and for those willing to wait out a prolonged span of aging.

2018 is being heralded throughout Burgundy as a rare vintage in which both quality and quantity stepped up to the plate and delivered. The winter and spring leading up to the growing season were unusually wet, topping off water tables that would allow older vines with deep roots—the ones most coveted—to breeze through periods of extreme heat. And that came early, with April temperatures soaring into the upper eighties. From there, the season progressed with higher than average temps, but without the heat spikes seen in previous vintages (notably 2003 and 2019) and there was sufficient intermediary precipitation to keep even the younger vines away from stress.

The primary challenge for growers in 2018 was settling on a picking date, as Pinot Noir has a fickle period of optimal ripeness before the flab sets in. As might be expected, the more experienced domains fared best, setting up wines with charming immediacy as well as the potential for prolonged cellar growth.

The wines of Gevrey-Chambertin in particular offer a genuine sense of freshness hand-in-hand with the vintage’s characteristic and powerful sun-ripened fruit.

Gevrey-Chambertin: Setting the Boundaries

“The Emperor will drink only Chambertin,” said Louis Constant Wairy, Napoleon’s valet.

Indeed. So what does Gevrey-Chambertin have in common with Westland, Michigan? Not much, except that Westland was named for a mall and Gevrey-Chambertin is named for a vineyard. As those schooled in Burgundian lore know, during the nineteenth century it became fashionable for villages in the Côte d’Or to adopt double-barreled names, adding a hyphen followed by the name of their most famous vineyard: Thus Chambolle added Musigny and Gevrey added Chambertin.

In minimalism, less may be more, and in wine—especially those with a hyphenated name—more may be less; a village-level Gevrey-Chambertin, for example, does not seek to compete with the quality of ‘Le Chambertin’ itself. But if nothing else, its name reminds you that it comes from a rarefied zip code. And to be sure, the region is hallowed grapeland, graced with the Holy Trinity of terroir—elevation, climate and soil structure. Contained within the appellation are nine Grand Crus and 26 Premier Crus (whose name on the label may be followed by the name of the climat of origin) as well as nearly a thousand acres of Villages wine.

The Essential Qualities of Gevrey-Chambertin: Blood and Iron

In the far northeast of Burgundy, about ten miles south of Dijon with the valley of Saône valley to the east, lies the Rodeo Drive of red wine, Gevrey-Chambertin. The town itself is touristy, picturesquely festooned with vineyards from end to end, but certainly one of the must-visit areas on any French wine tour. Should the tour include a tasting (and if it doesn’t, skip it), you’ll find that the wine, at all levels of quality, share certain characteristics, many of them in seeming contradiction: In general, Gevrey wines are big without being heavy, rich without being cloying and full-bodied while retaining a velvety, delicate texture.

This inherent tension is what makes Gevrey-Chambertin a superlative, even in the star-studded Côte de Nuits. But it must be remembered that this quality represents many centuries of trial and error: The best vineyards are based around the foothills of the famous hill of Lavaux, on the east-facing slope where they are hit by the morning sun, which disperses any fog and warms the vineyard into the late afternoon. Soils, of course, impart their geological magic–the vines in the Premier and Grand Cru sites are grown on shallow brown limestone with sections of clay which holds onto the heat of the day, warming the vines overnight and further increasing their ripeness and power. Organoleptically, the Pinot Noirs of Gevrey suggest blackcurrants and jammy strawberry compote when young, with distinct notes of licorice heightened by maturation in new oak casks. As these wines age, they acquire earthy notes aromas that hint at animal pelts, musk, spicy vanilla and Havana cigars. The top flight Crus are unparalleled, of course, and no more apt descriptor for them exists than ‘blood and iron.’

Domaine Jean-Michel Guillon & Fils

‘Local boy makes good’ is a common enough tale in Burgundy, where land—which can command a price tag twice that of Bordeaux—is generally held by families. Most success stories involve inheriting it or marrying it. Rare is the breakthrough of an outsider who can, for example, step off a train in Gevrey-Chambertin without connections or formal wine training and forge a Burgundian empire within an enclave already pretty imperialistic.

Enter Jean-Michel Guillon. Born into a military tradition, Jean-Michel Guillon chose to settle in France after his past service in the Polynesian Islands and in 1980, without much formal training, planted grapes on five acres of land. What began as a nascent fascination grew into an overarching passion, and the estate today covers nearly forty acres spread over more than 20 appellations. It is work that, like the best Gevrey-Chambertin wines, took years to peak, both stylistically and critically: 2018 turned out to be one of Jean-Michel Guillon’s best vintage ever.

Jean-Michel and Alexis Guillon, Domaine Jean-Michel Guillon & Fils

He explains: “It is all the result of my love for this land, and any acclaim I have received is based on innovative production processes and more importantly, taking into account the ecological needs of the vine. The climate crisis and the scarcity of natural materials is taken very seriously at the winery. Global warming is at the heart of the destruction of habitat destruction and the appearance of certain diseases. In order to facilitate cultivation and harvesting, we have worked diligently worked to reduce our carbon footprint by using phytosanitary products that respect the environment.”

Among his most aggressive innovations may be his use of new oak—100% at all levels, including the Bourgogne Rouge, his entry-level wine. On this front he quotes Henri Jayer, perhaps Burgundy’s most inventive winemaker: “There are no great wines without new barrels”. As such, Guillon & Fils is the biggest buyer of new French oak in Burgundy after Domaine Romanée-Conti and the Hospices de Beaune, most arranged through a long-standing partnership with the Ermitage and Cavin cooperages.

And speaking of ‘fils’, after forty years of love and labor, the elegant Jean-Michel Guillon has adopted a Burgundian style of primogeniture after all, handing over the management of the estate to his son Alexis. Two younger sons are waiting in the wings, much like King Charles III; thus, in a roundabout way, Gevrey-Chambertin again earns the nickname ‘The King of Burgundy and the Burgundy of Kings.’

President of the wine association for 12 years and of the cellar of the Vignerons de Gevrey-Chambertin ‘La Halle Chambertin’, the elder Guillon’s winemaking career ended with participation in the Saint-Vincent Tournante 2020 in Gevrey-Chambertin.

Domaine Jean-Michel Guillon & Fils, 2018 ‘Cuvée Père Galland’ Gevrey-Chambertin ($88)
Named for René Galland, the man who first helped Jean-Michel learn to make wine. As proper homage, the bouquet is almost fierce, rich and redolent of muscular dark fruit and iron, making it a remarkable Villages wine that could easily be mistaken for a Cru. It expands on the palate to include smoke, coffee, cola perfumed by fresh violets and lavender.

Domaine Jean-Michel Guillon & Fils, 2018 ‘Cuvée Alexis’ Gevrey-Chambertin ($110)
Named after the (then) heir apparent Alexis (long live the new king), this blend is more elegant and perfumed than Guillon’s other Gevrey Villages wines, hailing from 60 year-old vines. It features an expressive nose peppered with pretty nuances of blackberries, wild herbs and smoky forest floor, yet the palate is fresh and fruity, displaying a full array of strawberry, cherry and sweet spice behind notes of iron filings and crushed stone.

Domaine Jean-Michel Guillon & Fils ‘Vieilles Vignes’, 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin ($117)

This hedonistic wine from 90-year-old vines is, as expected, perfumed on the nose and massive in the mouth, showing fresh figs, raspberries, black currants and orange zest on the palate and dry extract on a balanced and notably more complex finale.

Domaine Henri Rebourseau

The patchwork of vineyards that makes up the Côtes de Nuit is nothing compared to the gaggle of names that make up Domaine Rebourseau—keep them separated if you dare, and I only have to go back to 1980, the year that Pierre Rebourseau handed over the management of the estate to his grandson Jean de Surrel. Jean de Surrel adopted organic winegrowing practices and a biodynamic approach. Then, in 2018, the Bouygues family joined the estate, and as majority shareholders, Martin and Olivier Bouygues (who also own Château Montrose in St. Estèphe) joined forces with the de Surrel family to continue the estate’s heritage. Subsequently, Bénigne and Louis de Surrel took over from their father under the supervision of Hervé Berland, who’d spent three lauded decades at Château Mouton Rothschild.

There’s two hundred more years of confusing Rebourseau torch-passing behind that; perhaps for another time.

The Domaine conserves its family ethos and seven generations of tradition, but the old style of wine—heavy and a bit clumsy out of the cradle—has been given a stylish facelift under Bouygues management, becoming lighter, with a greater emphasis on finesse.

Even so, the estate continues in its biodynamic farming, and boasts some of the oldest parcels in the Côte de Nuits; around half of the vineyards are located in the Grands Cru of Chambertin, Clos de Bèze, Charmes-Chambertin, Mazy-Chambertin and Clos de Vougeot and they maintain holdings in Premier Crus as well.

Bénigne and Louis de Surrel, Domaine Henri Rebourseau

According to Louis de Surrel, this is a daunting prospect: “It’s very frightening to make a Grand Cru wine,” he admits. “Honestly, every time I step into the vineyard, it’s like a ‘mise en abyme’: I can’t help thinking about all the generations that have come before, and that responsibility haunts me sometimes. It is a two-pronged approach: We try to have the best vinification techniques but our first and foremost priority is the vineyard.”

Louis is as fascinated as he is intimidated by the intricacies of Burgundian terroir: “In Gevrey-Chambertin, there are 69 climats and every one of them is different,” he says. “But expression of terroir is by no means limited to the Grand Crus, and even at village level, these wines have their own identities. In front of the domain, we have two plots: Aux Corvées and La Brunelle. They almost touch each other, separated by a three-meter path; they are totally different wines. That, for me, is the magic of terroir.”

Domaine Henri Rebourseau, 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin ($99)

A lovely and approachably Gevrey with concentrated fresh black cherry, rhubarb, violets and a hint of sweet vanilla bean melding in the glass along with a pretty undertone of spice box.

Gevrey-Chambertin:Village Vins de Lieux

The Burgundian term ‘climat’ and the more widespread French term ‘lieux dit’ are often used interchangeably, but this is technically incorrect. They may occasionally interlap geographically, and cover the same area of vines, but in fact (to get pedantic), a lieu-dit is named in cadastral (related to property ownership) records and a lieu-dit is a geographical area with a traditional name. A climat always refers to a wine-growing area that is regulated by the INAO and a lieu-dit may not refer to a vineyard at all, but simply a historical stomping ground.

With nearly seventy lieux-dits in Gevrey-Chambertin appellation, learning their names, let alone the gustatory nuances of each one is admittedly a daunting task! But such small parcels are pretty much the truest and most detailed expression of terroir available.

Domaine Henri Rebourseau, 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin ‘Aux Corvées’ ($99)
Aux Corvées is a six-acre lieu-dit in front of the Rebourseau home, on one side of the approach, marking a boundary between Les Corvées and La Brunelle and representing a clear variation in character. Corvées’ vines are around a half-century in age, and the scree deposits are more varied; soils are relatively deep, reaching depths up to six feet. This produces a harmonious Gevrey, with pure, translucent berry notes and tarry undertones. It shows a core of ripe strawberry on the palate and a voluptuous, velvety texture laced with supple tannins and fine acidity.

Domaine Henri Rebourseau, 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin ‘La Brunelle’ ($117)
La Brunelle, situated at the heart of a projecting ledge that forms a silt trap, has been described as one of the greatest successes of the Combe of Lavaux’s alluvial cone. On the surface brown soils predominate, just below are the limestone gravels that are effective in maintaining the heat. In the lower portion, clustered piles of calcareous stones are to be found with a layer of sand and clay about ten feet below the surface. Jammy dark cherry dominates the nose and leads to a concentrated, full-fleshed palate that rises far about a Villages label—as lieux-dits are wont to do.

Domaine Jean-Michel Guillon & Fils, 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin ‘Les Crais’ ($78)
The Pinot Noir parcel ‘Les Crais’ sits east of the main road on the Brochon side of Gevrey-Chambertin; it was planted in two parts, one in 1979/1980 and the other in 1990/1991. Soils are gravel made of decomposed limestone. The wine is racy and intense with juicy raspberry aromas, ripe cherry and anise sparks, offering remarkable length.

Domaine Philippe et Henri Jouan

With fewer than ten acres under vine, the tiny domain of Philippe et Henri Jouan does not produce at volumes that move the needle on most output charts (five cuvées), but the quality is frequently over the top. Situated in the village of Morey-Saint-Denis the estate is run by Phillipe Jouan, the fifth generation of his family to make Pinot Noir here. Harvests are typically de-stemmed, with 10 to 15% whole-bunch fermentation in cooler vintages; the musts tend to undergo short macerations of 12 to 14 days and are then pressed off with a 100-year-old wooden press bought by Philippe’s great-grandfather. The wines typically see 25 to 40% new oak, the majority from François Frères.

Henri Jouan, Domaine Philippe et Henri Jouan

Says Philippe, “Henri was a lifelong friend of the legendary Jacky Truchot. Jacky’s wines were often ethereal, sometimes just frankly light, and at times as beautiful as Burgundy can be. Our wines are not elegant in the same way as Jacky’s. The similarity is that our fruit is often on the red spectrum and the wines lifted, but ours are, above all, marked by old-vine sap, dense structures, and deep, penetrating flavors. We share the iconic Morey Premier Cru Clos Sorbé, and a side-by-side clearly illuminates these stylistic differences, as if the same light were refracted through two prisms. Both are sublime.”

Domaine Philippe et Henri Jouan, 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin ‘Aux Echezeaux’ ($88)
Aux Echézeaux is a compelling plot that complicates the image of Gevrey as massive and muscular. Located in the southern part of the appellation on the border of Morey-St.-Denis, this small vineyard produces wines that are silky and elegant, qualities enhanced by Jouan’s use of de-stemming with up to 15% whole-bunch fermentation. The 2018 exhibits aromas of cherries, plums, orange rind and loamy soil with a beautiful concentration and pronounced minerality.

Domaine Perrot Minot

After spending several years in Burgundy’s Côte d’Or working as a liaison between growers and négociants, Christophe Perrot‐Minot returned to his family domain in Morey‐St‐Denis. Prior to this prodigal homecoming, his father Henri had operated primarily as a grower, selling the majority of the family production in bulk. Christophe soon shifted the focus to estate bottling, and all but a small portion of Passtoutgrains is now released under the family’s own name.

Today considered one of the benchmark producers in the Côte de Nuits, his wines have become more refined in every vintage. A combination of intense field work and innovation in the cellar over the past thirty years have raised the bar in his portfolio, aided in particular by his year 2000 purchase of Pernin‐Rossin, giving him many old‐vine parcels from which to draw fruit.

Christophe Perrot‐Minot, Domaine Perrot Minot

Among Christophe Perrot‐Minot’s many innovations has been a renewed focus on sorting during harvest; his goal of producing more elegant wines has been achieved through the use of less new-oak in aging as well as less extraction during fermentation. The wine is a blend from has two vineyards located in Morey-Saint-Denis; one plot is 55 years old and the other, 25 years old. Gravières des Chaponnières shows cherry brandy, earth and graphite with chalky tannins and a savory tang.

Domaine Perrot-Minot, 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin ‘Justice des Seuvrées’ ($180)
A cuvée composed of two parcels—namely, the lieux-dits ‘Les Seuvrées’ and ‘La Justice,’ blended because the wines of Les Seuvrées tend to express elegance while La Justice lends texture and body. The wine achieves a marvelous balance between power and delicacy; the wine is loaded with blackberry, mulberry, roasted coffee, and crushed berries with slight floral perfumes to add bright layers.

Gevrey-Chambertin: Premier Crus

A novice may point out that the illogic in the Cru hierarchy can be confusing, because Premier Cru is below Grand Cru, even though the word ‘premier’ translates literally as ‘first.’ A pro will quickly point out that logic is not always the best device to use when translating wine laws.

Often abbreviated ‘1er Cru’, these wines—like all wines earning any sort of ‘Cru’ designation— represent excellent vineyards and make up about 10% of Burgundy’s wine production. A notch below Grand Cru, usually in price and arguably in quality, the size and gravitas of that notch is often a matter of taste.

Nowhere is this subjectivity more obvious than in Gevrey, where there are 26 climats classified as Premier Cru. Some are located around the group of Grand Cru vineyards south of the village, while some are located together on a slope to the northwest of the village. And the fact remains that the wine from Gevrey 1er Crus often command prices higher than many Grand Cru wines from Côte de Nuits. As an example, Clos Saint-Jacques, situated in the center of the group of Premier Crus to the northwest of the village, is typically the most highly regarded Premier Cru of Gevrey-Chambertin.

Domaine Jean-Michel Guillon & Fils, 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru Les Champonnets ($153)

Champonnets is an 8-acre Premier Cru found just south of Gevrey-Chambertin village in the Côte de Nuits region of Burgundy. The vineyard is on the northern edge of the Grand Cru hillside and produce somewhat lighter wines that display red fruit characters and silky tannins. Guillon’s 2018 shows strawberries, cherries, cream and a bit of smoke behind a bright spine of acid.

Domaine Jean-Michel Guillon & Fils, 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru Les Champeaux ($144)
Les Champeaux is a 17-acre vineyard at the northernmost limit of Gevrey-Chambertin, just south of Les Evocelles. Its relatively large size is actually comprised of a patchwork of smaller parcels, some of which are terraced due to steep slopes and over a thousand feet of elevation. The wine shows spicy oak behind cherry, currant, floral and mineral notes.

Domaine Jean-Michel Guillon & Fils, 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru La Petite Chapelle ($180)
The ten-acre Petit Chapelle is one of the easternmost Premier Crus in Gevrey-Chambertin, lying below the Chapelle-Chambertin Grand Cru. It is also one of the lowest Premier Cru vineyards in the appellation, where altitudes top out at 860 feet. Its position at the base of the hill offers a more gentle gradient than the vineyards to the west and the soils are deep and rich, with a high proportion of clay and limestone, and this is often given credit for producing wines with great strength and structure. Guillon’s 2018 displays very ripe cherry, subtle raspberry and floral notes of hibiscus; there is also some inviting citrus zest, nicely integrated tannins and a finish with the bite of salty minerality.

Domaine Bruno Clavelier

Bruno Clavelier made an unusual if direct path from the rugby field to the wine cellar, taking over his grandfather’s estate in the 1980s. The gifted athlete has placed a premium on low intervention winemaking, with 20% whole bunches used and a vinification process that he considers ‘more an infusion than a maceration. There is no punching down and not much pumping over.’ He is more a student of the field than cellar technique: “My grandfather was pioneer in organic farming long before it was common,” he says. “He never used chemicals or potassium fertilizers. We now farm using biodynamic principle and have been certified since 2005. 95% of the vineyards are planted to traditional Pinot Noir Fin, using an old practice of hand-selecting cuttings from the very best vineyards, and yields are naturally low. The vines were mostly planted in the 1930s and 1940s, earning the designation of Vieilles Vignes.”

Bruno Clavelier

Once harvested, the wines are produced with minimal intervention and the utmost respect for the vineyards’ terroir. Fermentation takes place in oak open-top fermenters with up to 30% whole cluster. Indigenous yeast allows for fermentations to start naturally and with manual punch downs. After a gentle pneumatic pressing, the wine is aged in oak barrels (Tronçais, Allier) for 16-18 months (30% new for Premier Cru and Grand Cru, and less for village level). The wines are bottled without fining or filtration, and the bottling happens under a neutral gas so that the amount of sulfur can be as low as possible.

Domaine Bruno Clavelier, 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru Les Corbeaux ($259)
Les Corbeaux is an eight-acre vineyard just south of the village of Gevrey-Chambertin; it sits at the mouth of the Combe de Lavaux valley. This setting informs its weather-based terroir as westerly winds funneled through the Combe brings cooling influences that leave the grapes have less time to develop phenols and sugars. This leads to a lighter style of wine than the more sheltered Grand Cru vineyards to the south. As demonstrated, this wine is filled with bright red cranberry notes and grand acidity; crisp subtle, and complex with refined tannins and a finished suffused with earth.

Domaine Drouhin-Laroze

Five generations spanning 163 years have been the Drouhin-Laroze management machine, and today’s team of Caroline and Nicolas Drouhin represent the sixth. The relatively small 30-acre domain spans from Vougeot in the south up to Brochon in the north, including seven villages-level vineyards, four Gevrey Premier Crus, and some of the most famous and sought-after Grand Crus in the region, including Musigny, Bonnes-Mares and Chambertin Clos de Bèze.

Caroline Drouhin explains their successes this way: “Like most estates in Burgundy, our wines have evolved stylistically over the years, going from a powerful and extracted style to one that is more finesse-driven and nuanced. At harvest, our grapes are sorted in both the vineyard and then again in the cellar, using a triage table to eliminate any defective berries. After a cold soak of a few days, the wines are left to ferment naturally.

Philippe Drouhin, assisted by his children Caroline and Nicolas, Domaine Drouhin-Laroze

“Extraction is decidedly gentle using a combination of both a light pigeage as well as remontage, particularly later in the fermentation. Depending on the vintage conditions, most of the wines receive a small dose of whole cluster inclusion, usually between 20% and 30%, although though occasionally higher. We feel that some cuvées work best with 100% de-stemmed grapes. While new oak percentages can be up to 80% for the Grand Cru wines, our current oak regimen uses low-impact wood that doesn’t overly mask the wine, allowing for the underlying terroirs to shine through.”

Nicolas adds, “For the élevage, the wines age in their cool, underground, vaulted cellars for 12 months, and then are racked barrel-by-barrel before the following harvest. They are held for an additional 3-6 months in cask before being moved to tank for a month or so for the blending. Bottling is done gently, without filtration unless absolutely necessary. The wines are then held for an additional 6 months in bottle before release.”

Domaine Drouhin-Laroze, 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru Clos Prieur ($198)
Named for the Cluny Priory that once tended it, the walled Premier Cru is five acres in total with an east-facing exposure. Drouhin-Laroze owns about three-quarters of an acre planted in 1954, with one section replanted in 2003. The wine is matured in 40% new oak barrels and the rest single-use barrels from Allier and Nivernais. The deep red color reflects the predominance of cherry compote and peppery vanilla.

Gevrey-Chambertin: Grand Crus

Although Grand Cru wines only makes up about 2% of all production (and although there are only 33 vineyards so named) it is likely that an even passing fan of Burgundy has heard of them all. This is truly where the crème de la crème of Pinot Noir exists and, in fact, they used to be called ‘Tête de Cuvée.’ Of course, there are several consecrated Grand Crus designated exclusively to Chardonnay, but none in Gevrey-Chambertin, which is red wine country. Grand Cru wines are generally allocated only to the well-connected and Michelin-starred cellars. Add to that the ever-expanding global competition for Burgundy and successive years of small harvests, and these legendary wines become even more difficult to find.

Gevrey boasts nine Grand Crus, the best of which are arguably Le Chambertin and Chambertin-Clos de Bèze. From there, the Grand Crus may have mixed reviews, and the reputation of a particular Cru’s quality depends on the sort of parcels the producers own. Charmes, for example, has producers that own vines from weaker parcels, and thus the label ‘Charmes’ alone is not a guarantee that the price will match the level of the product. On the other hand, Clos St. Jacques has a reputed consistency across producers because of more homogeneity among the parcels, and although it is a Premier Cru, has developed a reputation that equals some of the Grand Crus.

Domaine Henri Rebourseau, 2018 Chambertin Grand Cru ($450)
Of Rebourseau’s thirteen Grand Cru acres, the 1.4 acres the estate owns in the fabled Le Chambertin is no doubt a favorite child with an average vine age of 60 years and tiny yields of 20 hectoliter/hectare. Chambertin sits on outcrops of Bajocian ‘entroques’ (fossilized marine animals) slightly lower than mid-slope, where a coating of scree and thin silt covers the limestone and the soils are exclusively calcareous brown. The altitude is ideal and stones are abundant so that drainage is natural, while its exposure to the rising sun is incomparable. As a wine, it checks all the boxes: body, color, bouquet and finesse.

Domaine Henri Rebourseau, 2018 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru ($288)
Les Charmes Chambertin is situated on a limestone outcrop thinly covered with a shallow layer of rendzina soil—pebbly and marly with significant iron content; in fact, iron particles appear at the surface. This appellation is separated from the Chambertin appellation by the Route des Grands Crus and differs from the Mazoyères-Chambertin, which is situated lower down the hill; Rebourseau’s vines are a monopole in the upper area. The wine shows wild strawberries interlaced with vanilla spice, seamlessly combining structure with an unctuous essence.

Domaine Jean-Michel Guillon & Fils, 2018 Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru ($349)
Mazis-Chambertin is the northernmost Grand Cru vineyard in the Côte de Nuits; it covers 22 acres of superb soil on the upper slopes of Gevrey-Chambertin’s Grand Cru belt. The vineyard is divided into two climats, the upper Les Mazis-Hauts and the lower Les Mazis-Bas, the latter having slightly deeper soils. Location, location, location: Mazis-Chambertin is on the same part of the slope as the Chambertin vineyard, about 1600 paces to the south, just beyond the similarly well-regarded Clos de Bèze. The Grand Cru Ruchottes lies on the slope above, to the west.

As to the wine, a densely fruited nose of dark berries is at once earthy, spicy and feral. The imposingly-scaled, lavishly rich and sleekly muscled flavors are firmly structured though not aggressive and the sheer depth of the palate lingers throughout a long, fanning finish; impressive now, but clearly built to age.

Domaine Castagnier

With properties found the heart of the Côte de Nuits, Jérôme and Jocelyne Castagnier—working a scant ten acres—manage to produce four Grand Crus in the prestigious soils of Gevrey-Chambertin, Morey-St-Denis, Chambolle-Musigny and Vougeot.

Says Jérôme: “I’m the fifth or sixth largest owner of Grand Cru vines in Morey-Saint-Denis, but when it comes to Village-level appellation Morey-Saint-Denis, I’m the smallest. All I have is two rows. That’s one barrel of wine.”

Jérôme Castagnier, Domaine Castagnier
photo: Marie-George Stavelot

Having left a career as a trumpet player to pursue the vine, he adds, “After my studies at the Conservatory in Dijon and the Conservatory in Paris I took a job in the French Republican Guard Band, working at the Élysée Palace under both Jacques Chirac and Nicolas Sarkozy. In 2004, at the age of 26, I had to decide whether to continue the career in music or to uphold the family tradition. I chose the latter and returned to Morey-Saint-Denis, thus becoming the fifth generation in his family running the domain.”

Among the younger crop of vignerons who manifest a worldview based in respect for the environment, the Castagniers rely on biodynamics and earth-first techniques at every phase of the winemaking process.

Domaine Castagnier, 2018 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru ($299)
A beautifully constructed Charmes in the classical style, meaning that it rewards patience. The tightly knit complexities of flavors from the micro-climats of this older Pinot Noir vineyard. Smokey oak and sandalwood scents underscore ripe strawberry and cherry and sweet spiced cola. Already impressive, this wine carries a guarantee of further development and should evolve into an even more exquisite expression of its terroir.

Domaine Ponsot

Back in 1872, when William Ponsot set up ship in Morey-Saint-Denis, his major parcels of land at that time were the Clos des Monts-Luisants and Clos de la Roche. When his nephew Hippolyte Ponsot, took over the domain in 1920, he started bottling on premise, a rarity at the time. Eventually the estate was passed down to Hippolyte’s son Jean-Marie, and later to Jean-Marie’s children, Laurent and Rose-Marie.

Alexandre Abel, Winemaker

Today, Rose-Marie Ponsot is the sole director of the company, seconded by Alexandre Abel. Unfettered by the latest fashions, Domaine Ponsot has always sought to express the richness of Burgundy terroir through natural cultivation practices. Human intervention is limited and only applied to the help that the vine needs. The family’s long tradition of letting nature take the lead in the vineyards that today the original plots are still in exceptional condition.

Domaine Ponsot, 2018 Chapelle-Chambertin Grand Cru ($765)
On the lower slopes of the Grand Cru belt, immediately below the commune’s most prestigious climat, Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze, 13-acre Chapelle-Chambertin is one of the area’s lesser-known Grand Crus. Its wines are lighter in color than those from the climats further up the slope, and not as concentrated as those from the small Griotte-Chambertin site immediately to the south. These comparisons are relative, however. These are still full, structured examples of Pinot Noir that can be aged for many years.

Unlike many Grand Cru pressings, this one sees no new oak; in fact, the 18 months aging prior to bottling is in twenty-year-old barrels. Ponsot owns a little more than an acre of Chapelle, and the vines are around 35-years-old. The wine shows a distinct bouquet of peonies and licorice with deeper tones of ed currant, raspberry, and rose petal, accented by wet stone and spice.

Domaine Ponsot ‘Vieilles Vignes’, 2018 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru ($990)
Clos de la Roche is the most northerly of Morey-Saint-Denis’ four Grand Cru vineyards, and at 42 acres, one of the largest in the entire Côte d’Or. So spectacular is the reputation here that it is often compared to a top Gevrey. The terroir is built on largely on limestone, with the lower slope underlaid with Bajocian marl from the middle Jurassic while the steeper, western, portions are slightly newer, but still from the mid-Jurassic, 160 to 170 million years ago.

This is as full-blown a Morey as you will find, brooding with aromas of poached plum, warm earth, smoked game and a full cupboard of spice. The dry extract buffers a tannic spine to create a wonderful, if genuinely imposing wine.

Domaine Ponsot ‘Vieilles Vignes’ 2018 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru ($1,990) 1.5L
The main enological reason to buy wine in magnum format, of course, is the ratio of wine volume to air: A magnum contains twice as much wine as a standard bottle, but with the same sized cork, so the slow exchange of air allows the wine to age more gracefully, albeit over a longer period of time. But time is the key to correct aging; it’s why constant cellar temperatures are vital to a balanced evolution. For a wine with the power and glory of Ponsot’s 2018 Clos de la Roche, this ability to age it at a more leisurely pace is the best way to optimize its ultimate performance.

Notebook …

What Makes A Wine Great? 

Superlative winemaking involves a formula that’s part science and part soul. It’s not a stretch to liken the process to a recipe, and so a comparison of a great wine and the steps required to produce a perfectly prepared, top-end Wagyu ribeye steak may be apropos. Like wine, an exceptional piece of beef must trace its origins to the earth itself: Wagyu cattle are pampered from birth, fed a high-protein diet, often massaged and given beer to encourage marbling. Likewise, the vineyards that produce top quality wines enjoy both breeding and babying; adding to the natural elements is a cycle of biodynamics to mollycoddle microbic life, with the correct attention paid to moisture, food and pruning. While in the growth stage, all possible care is taken so that the vines do not fall prey to disease or mismanagement.

And the same holds true for the steer.

Once harvested, both products are handled with extra care, but in the cellar—as in the kitchen—the skill of the creator is paramount. A misstep along the way may result in a whole lot of wasted effort earlier in the game.

Of course, for both beef and bottle, the consumer is the ultimate benefactor and the decisive judge; the time the wine spends maturing toward an ‘ideal’ state is the time the steak spends over the flame. This is, of course, an optimal and somewhat measurable period depending on individual tastes, but a given consensus can certainly be formed and debated.

And this is precisely the key factor separating great wine (and great cuisine) from the also-rans, just as it is true that the broader the consensus, the pricier the product tends to become.

The esoterica we consider when we call a wine ‘great’ are nuance and identity. The former is formed purely through organoleptic sensations, the latter via reputation and history—how well the wine represents and reflects its place of origin. The status of ‘great’ must always be opinion, but at the same time, the more you know and the deeper you look, the more credible your opinion becomes.

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Posted on 2025.03.05 in Gevrey-Chambertin, France, Burgundy, Wine-Aid Packages