Gevrey-Chambertin
First stop in the Cote D’Or
With Gevrey we arrive at the beginning of the finest sector of the Burgundian Vineyard. Gevrey-Chambertin is the largest of the great communes of the Cote de Nuits and can boast nine of the twenty four Cote de Nuits grand Crus. It therefore vies with Vosne — which has six — for the title of the most important commune of the them all: the apogee of Burgundy, the pinnacle of the Pinot Noir.
The wines should be sumptuous. At the summit are Chambertin and Clos de Beze: immaculate and full, firm and rich, concentrated and masculine, similar but subtly different from one another. Ruchottes and Mazis are less structured, but pure and intense. Chappel and Griotte show a hint of red fruit, cherries or raspberries, and the velvet changes discreetly to silk. Charmes and Mazoyeres are softer and more feminine, Latricieres coarser and more spicy. But all can inspire. Meanwhile the brilliance and poise of Clos Saint-Jacques, denied Grand Cru status forever points a finger at the errors of appellation controlee ratings.
Gevrey-Chambertin is a full and sturdy wine rich and masculine, but with a touch of the fleshy and exotic. Sensual and vigorous it is more flamboyant than Vosne and more substantial than Chambolle. Musigny can be said to be the queen, the epitome of delicacy and finesse but Le Chambertin is the king: simply complete Burgundy: “tout le Grand Bourgogne possible,” to quote the poet Gaston Roupnel.
The village of Gevrey-Chambertin, south of Brochon, North of Mory-Saint-Denis, lies on the same level as its grand crus, at the point where the Combe de Lavaux opens out into the valley. It sprawls all the way down to the main road, and then beyond toward the railway.
The Grand Crus
There are nine grand crus which comprise some 87 hectares and produce an average of 2,600 hectoliters a vintage. Charmes and Mazoyeres together contribute over a third of this. The grand crus lie in one contiguous mass on the south side of the village, either above the route des Grands Crus (Mazis, Ruchottes, Clos de Beze, Chambertin, Latricieres), or below it (Chapelle, Griotte, Charmes, Mazoyeres), on the way to Morey-Saint-Denis.
Chambertin
There are some fifty-five parcels of land in the Chambertin cadastre, some as little as fifty square meters in size, yet four domains — and yet not so long ago it was three, the Trapet estate having been divided as recently as 1990 — own over half this grand cru. There were twelve proprietors in 1829, and fifteen in 1910, and there are around twenty five today, if one groups together several members of the same family where the wine is made in common, but ownership is split for tax and inheritance reasons.
Chambertin lies above the Route des Grands crus, between Latricieres and Clos de Beze, sheltered under the montagne de la Combe-Grisard at an altitude of between 275 and 300 meters. Upslope where it and Clos de Beze meet, there is what looks like a quarry. It is merely the rock formation.
The soil is a limestone of Bajocian origin, and the incline is gentle: a little more so than that of Latricieres, which is almost flat except for just under the trees, but less so than that of Clos de Beze. In parts, particularly to the south and and upslope, the vines are on white oolite. Elsewhere, the earth is browner, and mixed with clay and pebbles. The proportion of fine earth is is identical to that at Montrachet.
These are virile wines. The tannins are more obvious than in the top wines of Vosne-Romanee. Chambertins are full, firm, and austere at the outset and structured and fleshy, with initial flavors of black fruit, liquorice and coffee beans, mellowing into something rich, concentrated, generous, and warm-hearted when they mature. The Clos de Beze is more perfumed in its youth; the Chambertin more severe, and perhaps bigger of the two. Both are true vins de garde, needing a decade at least to soften up. Perhaps neither is ever as subtle as the top wines of Vosne-Romanee
Clos de Beze
In all, there are some forty separate parcels in Clos de Beze, but despite it being larger, it has a smaller number of proprietors. One domaine, sadly an underachiever for a long time but now happily under new and determinedly perfectionist management, has no less than 34.8% of the climat. Like Chambertin itself, the majority of the proprietors are Gibriacois.
Clos de Beze lies due north of Chambertin, between it and Mazis, on the same altitude of 275 to 300 meters. The incline is a little steeper, particularly at the top of the slope, and the soil, brown in color, is a little less deep. In parts the Bajocian bedrock shows through. As in Chambertin, in parts, there are plenty small stones and pebbles. If there is one difference from Chambertin it is the absence of the white oolite which is apparent in some of the upper sections of the more southerly climat.
At their best these two wines (Chambertin & Clos de Beze) are certainly not just among the top wines of Burgundy, but among the top red wines of the world. And as good as the wines of next rung may be, be they from Mazis or Ruchottes or Clos Saint-Jacques there is considerable margin between them and those of the Clos de Beze.
Chapelle-Chambertin
Chapelle-Chambertin lies immediately underneath Clos de Beze, with Griotte to the south and the premier cru Les Cherbaudes to the north. It takes its name from the chapel of Norte Dame de Beze, originally built in 1155 and reconstructed by Philippe de Beaujeu in 1547, but subsequently deliberately burnt to the ground to increase the land by two ouvrees in 1830. Originally, Chapelle was just the southerly section, but this grandcru absorbed the climat of les Gemeaux during the course of the nineteenth century.
The slope is modest here. The shallow pebbly soil, based on hard rock, which sticks out in places, is a little richer than in neighbouring Griotte. Of all the grand crus downslope from the route des grands cru — which are lighter and more ‘feminine’ than those above it — this is the sturdiest wine, though not as full (or as fine) as Chambertin itself. It is rich and plummy and can resemble Clos de Beze, but in the final analysis, it doesn’t have quite the volume, the concentration or the flair.
Charmes-Chambertin and Mazoyeres-Chambertin
For the last 150 years growers in Mazoyeres have been able to sell their wine under the more user friendly label of Charmes. There are today few Mazoyeres to be seen, save chez Camus, Perrot-Minot and Taupenot-Merme. Mazoyeres lie under Latricieres and, in part, stretches down to the main road — the only other grand cru apart from Clos Vougeot to do this. Charmes adjoins it to the north, under Chambertin. The etymology of of Mazoyeres is obscure. Could it, like Mazis, have something to with maisons (houses)? But Charmes, though the wine is indeed charming, comes from chaume, a piece of vineyard abandoned at one time (en friche) and then replanted.
Once again, the slope is gentle. The surface soil is meagre, made up of decayed limestone with an abundance of gravel and stones at the lower levels. In the charmes the rock is less decomposed. In the old days lumps of iron ore would be dug up in the course of ploughing the vineyard, and these would be sent off to a foundry in the Langres to be worked into metal
The wines of the Mazoyeres section are firmer, fuller and gamier but less fine, less pure and fragrant, than those of Charmes — certainly the Charmes-du-Haut, which is round and less sturdy, but can have plenty of finesse. All in all, this is the least exciting of the Gevrey grands crus, and the most forward. Yet in good hands, like the wines of Denis Bachelet, for example, it can nevertheless be very enticing, with a violet and raspberry perfume, with a texture which can be velvety, even silky-smooth, and with no lack of intensity:if not quite the Musigny of Gevrey, then perhaps it Amoureuses. As always it depends on the grower.
Griotte-Chambertin
This is the smallest of the Gevrey grands crus, and it lies squeezed in between Charmes and Chappelle, just under the point where Chambertin meets Clos de Beze. As every book on Burgundy will tell you, griotte is a type of cherry, used for jam making, and that is what the wine tastes like. Yes, it can have the flavor of cherries, if you are looking for them — I find more of a cornucopia of all sorts of red and black small fruits, plus liquorice and violets — but the name has more mundane origins. As is so often the case, it derives from the soil, criotte or crai: chalk — as in Criots-Batard-Montrachet.
There is little surface soil here. The roots delve straight into broken-up rock impacted with pebbles and fossils. When it rains, the vineyard can get very wet, for these are a number of underground streams and springs. But it drains well. The wine, however, can be sublime. Whether it is just that most of the people able to show you a Griotte are fine producers or is it a coincidence, I find a major difference between Griotte and Chapelle, particularly in terms of intensity and finesse. Moreover, Griotte has a poise and individuality which raises it above all but the very best Charmes. Griotte is never a blockbuster: the tannins are always soft, the acidity usually gentle, and the wine is perfumed, harmonious, and seductive — oh ever so seductive.
Latricieres-Chambertin
Latricieres — the word means poo, in the sense of infertile — lies directly to the south of Chambertin. It shares much of the same soil and subsoil, a white oolitic marl on a solid rock base with very little surface earth, but the land is flatter. There is almost no slope except at the upper end just under the trees.
Dr. Morelot (1831) ignored it — probably the wine was passed off as Chambertin in those days — and Lavalle (1855) classed it as a Deuxieme cuvee. One Hundred and fifty years ago, there were three proprietors. Today there are ten.
Latricieres is a sturdy wine, robust in its youth, and spicy and gamey in its maturity, and it lacks both the distinction of Chambertin and Clos de Beze and the finesse of Mazis and Ruchottes. In good hands though, we can find a thoroughly satisfactory, warm-hearted bottle. But a Latricieres is a second-division grand cru, nonetheless.
Mazis-Chambertin
Mazis, often spelled with a ‘y,’ and with or without the final ‘s,’ has the same etymological origin, it is suggested as Mozoyeres, and indeed various Maizieres: the word means hamlet. It lies under Ruchottes, Between Clos de Beze and the village of Gevrey, above the Route des Grands Crus, and it is divided into the Mazis haut, and the Mazis bas, the former being the choicest parcel. Since 1855 it has absorbed part of Les Corbeaux, increasing its surface area by about .6 hectares.
The soil is similar to that of Clos de Beze — shallow, especially in the haut, with the bajocian bedrock poking out in places — and the wine, at its best, comes closest in quality, both in volume and in distinction, to the two great grands crus. Mazis is well-colored and rich in tannin and has good grip and a most attractive, even opulent fruit: blackberry and black cherry to add to the petits fruit rouges. Madame Lalou Bize of Maison Leroy has for long produced a Mazis to conjure with: indisputably a grand vin. Now she owns a parcel in her own right 00 and it houses the same vines whose wine she bought in the first place.
Ruchottes-Chambertin
Ruchottes — the word comes from rochers (rocks) — is always plural, where as Griotte and Mazis can be either. the climat — small, steep and much-parcellated — lies above Mazis and beneath a little road which disappears into the mountains on its way to Curley. Across the road is the premier cu Le Fontenay.
Asmin the top part of Chambertin and Latricieres, there is oolitic marnes blanches here, and once again there is very little surface soil. The result is a wine of the same size as Mazis, but with more structure showing: less fat, less lush, more mineral. It is a vin de garde, and a very satisfactory one, if somewhat austere in its youth. Give it time. There is plenty of depth and a mulberry-type fruit balanced by a cool acidity.
Nearly half of the proprietors owe their land to the break-up of the Thomas-Bassot domaine. Thomas Bassot was founded in 1852 and soon became a the proprietor of the lion’s share of Ruchottes. In 1976, after a succession of family problems and personal tragedies, the firm was sold to Jean-Claude Boisset, and the domaine was put on the market.
The Premiers Crus
There are twenty six premiers crus in Gevrey-chambertin, in whole or in part. Altogether they cover some 86 hectares and produce 3500 hectoliters of wine a vintage. There are four easy groupings of Premier Crus: Saint-Jacques and its satellites, the premier crus to the north of Saint-jacques, the premier crus between Chambertin and the village of Gevrey, and the premier crus below the Mazis and Chapelle grand crus.
Clos Saint-Jacques
When it came to be decreed what was grand cru and what was not in the 1930s, it was decided that only climats contiguous with Chambertin and Clos de Beze would be considered for top rank. Ruchottes and Mazoyeres scraped in, for a finger of each touches the magic core. Clos Saint-Jacques, on its own, but perfectly poised on the Combe de Lavaux flank, was excluded. No one who owns a part of this vineyard (there are only five, and they all today produce excellent wine) would agree with this judgement. Neither would other, more dispassionate outsiders.
In the Armand Rousseau cellar you are given the Saint-Jacques to taste after the Clos de la Roche, Ruchottes, and Mazis, and the Saint-Jacques is awarded a higher percentage of new oak. It is always the best of the wines.
In the nineteenth century the vineyard belonged exclusively to the Comte du Moucheron. In 1953, at which time the metayer was Henri Esmonin, grandfather of Sylvi, it was divided and sold to antecedents of the present producers. It lies on the same elevation as Chambertin, and the soil is white marl similar in constitution. though the incline is marginally greater. The fruit ripens just a little later. owing to a fresh wind that can flow out of the Combe. But the wine can be exquisite: rich, ample, full-bodied and distinctive. This is a wine of real depth and dimension, slightly lusher and plumper than the two greatest Gevrey wines, but no less classy, no less inspiring. It is clearly head and shoulders above all the other Gevrey premier crus.
Lavaux Saint-Jacques
Estournelles Saint-Jacques
Lavaux-Saint-Jacques lies immediately south of Clos Saint-Jacques, with the smaller Estournelles above it. Here it is not so much soil structure or exposition which precludes the wine from pretension to grand cru status, but the sheltering and cooling effect of the valley into which the road at the bottom of the slope rapidly disappears. Walk from the Clos Saint-Jacques boundary on the north side across to where Lavaux meets Varoilles and the Poissenot on the other side — a distance of less than 400 meters — and you will notice a drop in temperature. In the winter, when frost or snow hits the ground, can also see the microclimatic difference, as the ground warms up each morning.
Nevertheless, the wines from these two climats can be excellent premier cru examples: fullish, rich, plump, ample, and meaty, without hard edges or rusticity, and with plenty of fruit. Local wisdom will opine that a blend of the two would make a superior to what either could acomplish on its own — a wine as good as Clos Saint-Jacques. But then it could only be called premier cru.
Les Cazetiers
Les Petits-Cazetiers
La Combe au Moine
Les Goulots
Les Champeaux
These climats lie on the other side of Clos Saint-Jacques and have an exposure which is more to the east and even, in the case of La Combe-au-Moine, marginally to the north.
Les Cazetiers is almost as well exposed as Clos Saint-Jacques and can closly approach it, though it never seems to really equal it. You can taste the two alongside each other at chez Bruno Clair, Rousseau and Jadot. It is an equally sizable wine — just a little more to the sturdy, robust side– but it can be splendidly rich and satisfying.
Beyond Les Cazetiers, which is a wide extensive vineyard, are Les Petits Cazetiers, La Combe-au-Moine, and Les Goulots, with Les Champeaux lying underneath. This is rocky, stony territory, with the vineyard broken up into terraces. With the exception of one or two Combe-au-Moine, this is second division territory; the microclimate is cooler, and the wines, though they can be quite substantial, do not have the proper definition and finesse.
Les Corbeaux
Le Fonteny
Champonnet
Craipillot
Issarts
The second sector lies between the grand crus of Ruchottes and Mazis and the village itself. Lowest down marching with Mazis bas, is Les Corbeaux, a section of which is plain village wine. Just above is Le Fonteny, and above is Champonnet, Craipillot and the tiny Issarts whose main proprietor is Faiveley.
Only the first three are of importance, in the sense that you are likely to see them on a label. They produce wines of a medium weight, with food fruit and often charming balance, but without the weight or the concentration of a good Lavaux-Saint-Jacques or Cazeriers.
Au Closeau
La Perriere
Clos Prieur (Haut)
Cherbaudes
Le Petite Chapelle (Les Champitonnois)
En Ergot
Downslope from Mazis and Chapelle-Chambertin lies the third sector of Gevrey-Chambertin premier crus. These are the most ‘feminine’ of the gevrey-chambertin premiers crus: medium in body, soft-centered, aromatically petits fruits rouges and, when good, extremely charming. When not good, or in poor vintages, they can be weedy and will attenuate rapidly.
Village Wine
Including some 50 hectares in the commune of Brochon, but entitled to the Gevrey-Chambertin appellation controlee, there are 369 hectares of village vineyard the average production is is 135,000 hectoliters. The appellation gevrey-chambertin applies to red wine only. The village wines come from three distinct section: the north, brochon side of the village; the south, underneath the grand crus; and across the main Nuits-Saint-George to Dijon Highway. The wines from the northern section are full, rich, muscular, and sometimes a bit burly, those from the south are lighter, more fragrant, more feminine; and those from the ‘wrong’ side of the road have less definition and elegance and tend to be on the lighter side. A judicious blend, agree most of the locals, makes the best of all possible worlds, though many growers produce village wines from single vineyards.
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