Charmes-Chambertin
Grand Cru 2020
The name has prestigious overtones; the location is one of the noblest imaginable. The very least one can say is that Gevrey-Chambertin is where the Grands Crus of the Burgundy Côte really begin …
Origin
Gevrey-Chambertin is a large village located at the northern extremity of the Côte de Nuits. It boasts one of the largest surface areas under vine with no less than 330 hectares under production. There are no fewer than 55 different parcels here. The Grand Cru terroirs begin south of the village where the eastern exposure is ideal, allowing the vines to benefit from the rising sun. No fewer than 9 Grands Crus originate here, including Charmes-Chambertin (22.50 ha) and Mazoyères-Chambertin (18.50 ha), which can be grouped together under the name of Charmes-Chambertin. This climat goes down in part to the national road 74. Its location is exceptional on the coast because it has so far had a stony soil, not very thick, with a very high rate of active limestone, therefore very favorable to a wine of great finesse.
Charmes refers to the presence of trees in this lieu-dit. Charme (hornbeam) is a standard tree yielding excellent firewood, but it was also very much sought after by the weelwrights, because it resisted rubbing and pressure.
The 2020 vintage is from a new contract, and the parcel is located along the Griotte-Chambertin.
Viticulture
Grape variety: pinot noir
Soils: limestone and marly pebbles, not very thick.
Orientation: East
Surface area under vine: 0.25 ha
Pruning: Guyot system
Yield: 41 hL/ha
Average age of the vines: 38 years old.
Vinification
Harvest date: 5 September 2020.
The grapes were handpicked. They were sorted a first time in the vineyard and a second time on the sorting table when they arrived at the winery.
At the winery: the grapes were 100% destemmed but not crushed (they were left whole) and were gravity-fed into tanks. Maceration lasted a total of 17 days including 4 days of cold maceration (12°C). Fermentation used indigenous yeasts only (no additives such as enzymes or tannins were used). 3 punchings of the cap.Vinification without sulfur.
Ageing
Maturation: aged on the lees for 15 months with no racking using 45% of new French oak barrels.
Barrels: French oak barrels that had been toasted at low temperatures for a long time to impart a very delicate touch of oak to the wine.
Bottling
Bottling: The wine was very gently filtered before being bottled in December 2021.
Number of bottles: 1,376.
Vintage
Balanced and concentrated
The harvests happened back-to-front! They began with the reds ripening before the whites. The harvest was very disease-free but we had to eliminate sunburnt berries, especially in the case of the Pinot Noir vines as the Chardonnays had coped better with the heat. Quality was definitely good, but relatively low juice yields has resulted in Pinot Noirs with high colour and aromatic intensity. On the other hand, the Chardonnay vines produced adequate yields with a good balance of sugar and acidity. This optimal ripeness enabled us to harvest the red grapes in certain plots according to the ‘vendange entière’ approach, where stalks are fermented along with the grapes. 'Lots of lovely colour in the reds, with very high polyphenol content, firm tannins and excellent levels of acidity. Looks set to be a year with great cellaring potential. Summer fruit coulis notes definitely have the upper hand in this year’s vintage! The whites are nicely-balanced, but it’s too early to be more precise. Watch this space…’ Grégory Patriat.
Ageing potential: 10 years and more.
Awards
Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France 2023 - 94/100
JamesSuckling.com - 96/100
Tasting notes
With its beautiful dark red color, this wine reveals intense aromas of cherry pit, black currant and spicy notes. A structured wine with a rather "muscular" mouth and fine tannins.
