Winemaker Notes
Unquestionably, this premier cru seems to have reached the level of a grand cru. Thanks to improvements in the vineyard, the wine is even more expressive and shows great length. The color is dark and deep. The tannins finely coat the palate while the finish ends with fresh berry scents. This is a generous wine from start to finish and will age beautifully.
Try pairing with some foie gras, as well as meat served with a rich sauce.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2015 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Champeaux is a blend of four different parcels in the four corners of the vineyard. The vines are between 60 and 100 years old, and suffered a lot of millerandage, therefore Arnaud used 50% whole bunch with 50% new oak during the élevage. It has another extraordinarily pure bouquet with hints of blue fruit tincturing the ebulliant and vibrant red fruit, a floral not emerging with a few swirls of the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, impressive weight and structure, offering a subtle oyster shell note towards the finish that gently fans out. Wonderful from start to finish.
Range: 94-96 -
Decanter
Muted nose dominated by the 50% new oak, although there are dark fruits lurking beneath the surface. Bright attack, a dramatic style with freshness, lift and pungency without any trace of astringency. Firm finish with good length. Drinking Window 2020 - 2032
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.