Winemaker Notes
Tasting Griotte-Chambertin is always cause for reflection: the aromas are complex and subtle, with hints of cherry liqueur, preserved cherry, fine leather, nutmeg. When the wine matures, there are hints of truffle and venison. The flavors are also arresting in their own way and the tannins, although present, are never aggressive or coarse. Long and persistent on the palate, with a glorious aftertaste.
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
So lifted and floral, with perfumes of fresh roses and other flowers coloring the aromas of strawberries and fresh cherries. Medium- to full-bodied palate, where you feel the excellent structure, but you don't sense the tannins in an austere way. Such polish and subtlety with length and focus. Purity and sophistication. 40% whole-cluster fermentation. A little tight at the end. Better after 2027.
-
Jasper Morris
Dark crimson purple with also a darker cherry fruit, the Griotte-Chambertin unsurprisingly comes across as a little sterner and less sensual when tasted immediately after Les Amoureuses. Instead, it is much more structured, with fine tannins and fair persistence. Barrel Sample: 92-95
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.