Winemaker Notes
Very complex, persistent and deep, the 2015 vintage requires some time in the cellar to fully express itself. When ready, it is nothing short of perfection: firm and velvety tannins, refined and ripened fruit, with a practically never ending finish.
Try pairing with a cardoon gratin with truffles
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
A blend of five diverse terroirs. Rich, dense and powerful cherry nose, followed by a formidable weight of ripe fruit on the palate with a subtle smokiness. Broad and seamless, a mighty wine with density and power but no undue extraction. Spicy and vigorous, it lacks some finesse at the moment, needing time to become harmonious. Undoubtedly impressive and imposing. Good length, and a chewy finish. Drinking Window 2020 - 2035
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2015 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaux Saint-Jacques comes from five parcels spread from the bottom to the top. It is matured in 70% new oak with 20% whole bunches. It has wonderful clarity and detail on the nose: a mixture of black and red fruit, cold stone, hints of violet and blood orange. The palate is extremely well balanced, fleshy and generous with layers of raspberry, strawberry, brown spices and a touch of tobacco towards the finish. There is tremendous weight and focus here with a very persistent finish. This is superb Lavaux Saint-Jacques.
Range: 93-95
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.