Winemaker Notes
The Domaine’s Grands Crus are matured in oak barrels, 80 percent of which are new and crafted from wood sourced in the Allier and Nivernais regions, with light to medium-plus toasts favored to achieve perfect harmony between the wine and wood tannins, and Latricières-Chambertin shows a dark ruby color with a virile and powerful character that is immediately evident on the nose through intense yet subtle aromas of blackberry, blueberry, licorice, and spices, while the palate delivers great aromatic complexity with concentration, solidity, and elegance supported by seductive, well-rounded tannins and good length, often described as masculine and very balanced, and it pairs beautifully with dishes such as mushroom and foie gras ravioles or duck breast with morels.
Professional Ratings
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Jasper Morris
20% whole bunch, 80% new barrel. Half the vineyard is pulled out at the moment. Usually destemmed but Nicolas decided to include some this year. A darker colour and indeed darker fruit throughout than the Chapelle-Chambertin with an impressive weight, evenly distributed across the palate. Showing well. Drink from 2032-2040.
Barrel Sample: 94-96
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.