Domaine Bertagna Chambertin Grand Cru 2011
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With 18 wonderfully diverse appellations across the region, 12 of which are Premier and Grand crus, Bertagna is among the top ranking Domaines in Burgundy. A desire for perfection and emphasis on quality, coupled with significant investments in technology and vineyard management, result in some of the region’s most compelling wines. Domaine Bertagna is perhaps best known for its elegant, silky red wines, but it also produces one of the world’s rarest white wines – Vougeot 1er Cru Blanc “Les Cras” from the Côtes de Nuits.
The historic Domaine Bertagna once belonged to the Cistercian monks, famous for founding the Clos de Vougeot in the 13th century. The estate’s cellars and vineyards are still located in the heart of the village nearby the Chateau and its ancient Chapter House, but the winery is owned since 1985 by the world-renowned Reh family and managed by Eva Reh.
Eva Reh has managed the estate since 1982. Extraordinary investments have been made in fermentation technology and the vineyards’ management since the Reh family has taken charge of the domaine, and the winemaking has improved dramatically, emphasizing purity of fruit and expression of the specific terroirs that they carefully cultivate.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
This small village is home to the Grands Crus in the farthest northerly stretches of Côte de Nuits and is famous for some of the deepest and firmest Burgundian Pinot Noir.
Gevrey boasts nine Grands Crus, the best of which are arguably Le Chambertin and Chambertin-Clos de Bèze. As with all of the fragmented vineyards of Burgundy, it isn’t easy to differentiate between the two, which are situated adjacent with Clos de Bèze slightly further up the hill than Le Chambertin. Clos de Bèze has a shallower soil and if you’re really counting, may produce wines less intense but more likely to charm. Some compare Le Chambertin in both power and plentitude only to the prized Romanée-Conti Grand Cru farther south in Vosne-Romanée.
Two other Grands Crus vineyards, Mazis-Chambertin (also written Mazy-) and Latricières-Chambertin command almost as much regard as Le Chambertin and Chambertin-Clos de Bèze. The upper part of Mazy, called Les Mazis Haut is the best and Latricières-Chambertin offers an abundance of juicy fruit and a silky texture in the warmer vintages.
Other Grands Crus are Ruchottes-Chambertin, Charmes-Chambertin, Mazoyères-Chambertin, Griotte-Chambertin and Chapelle-Chambertin.
The most respected Pinot Noir wines from Gevrey-Chambertin are robust and powerful but at the same time, velvety and expressive: black fruit, black liquorice and chocolate come into play. After some time in the bottle, the wines are harmonious with bright and sometimes candied fruit, and aromas of musk, truffle and forest floor. These have staying power.