Winemaker Notes
This terroir predates Chambertin. It is more seductive and subtle, whereas Chambertin tends to be more masculine. The aromatic profile is very complex; on the nose, small black fruits mingle with spices, and the palate is powerful yet remains ethereal and mineral.
Professional Ratings
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Jasper Morris
The Clos de Bèze boasts a dense black centre with purple rim, almost abrupt in its power. The detail does not speak on the nose but delivers an interesting salinity with some orange zest alongside the persistent red fruit. The finish is more elegant, as one expects from Clos de Bèze. Drink from 2032-2040.
Barrel Sample: 94-97 -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
As usual, the 2023 Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru is the richest, most textural wine in the range, unwinding in the glass with aromas of cherries, dark berries and plums mingled with blood orange, peonies and sweet spices. Medium to full-bodied, broad and layered, it's fleshy and seamless, with a ripe core of fruit, supple tannins and an expansive finish.
Barrel Sample: 94-96 -
Vinous
The 2023 Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru is often one of Pierre Duroché's strongest wines and this is no exception. Seductive hints of red fruit, bergamot and lavender emerge with time in the glass. Yes, it does actually remind me of Rousseau. The palate is medium-bodied, fleshy and caressing with supple tannins and a persistent finish. There's wonderful transparency here. This is a great success, considering the vintage.
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.