Gevrey-Chambertin 2020
The name has prestigious overtones, and the place itself is about as noble as they come. To say the least, Gevrey-Chambertin is where the the real Burgundy Grands Crus begin…
Origin
Gevrey-Chambertin is a large town located at the northern end of the Côte de Nuits. It boasts one of the largest surface areas under vine with no fewer than 330 hectares under production. The vines are planted at altitudes of between 240 and 280 metres. The soil is limestone-based with a high proportion of clay marlstones from the scree of the Combe de Lavaux, giving power and roundness to the wines.
Our Gevrey-Chambertin comes from the blending of 4 parcels: "Billard sur Brochon", "Aux Echezeaux", at the border with the Morey-Saint-Denis appellation located under the Mazoyères-Chambertin. But also "La Justice" and "la Croix des Champs".
Viticulture
Grape variety: pinot noir
Soils: different types: brown limestone, sandy and very poor soil composed of gravel.
Orientation: South-East
Surface area under vine: 1.613 ha
Pruning: Guyot system
Yield: 38 hL/ha
Average age of the vines: 38 years old.
Vinification
Harvest date: from September 2 to 5, 2020.
The grapes were handpicked.
They were sorted a first time in the vineyard and again on the sorting table when they arrived at the winery.
At the winery: the grapes were 70% destemmed but not crushed (they were left whole) and were gravity-fed into tanks. Maceration with 30% of entire grapes lasted a total of 21 days including 5 days of cold maceration (12°C). Fermentation used indigenous yeasts only (no additives such as enzymes or tannins were used). 4 punchings of the cap. Vinification without sulfur.
Ageing
Maturation: aged on the lees for 15 months with no racking using a proportion of 26% new French oak barrels.
Barrels: French oak barrels that had been toasted at low temperatures for a long time for very delicate oaking.
Bottling
Bottling mid December 2021, the wine was very gently filtered before being bottled using gravity.
Number of bottles: 2,517 bottles & 200 magnums.
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: From 7 to 12 years.
Awards
Bourgogne Aujourd'hui Magazine - 16 / 20
Tasting notes
With its brilliant dark red color, this wine reveals aromas of fresh black fruits and dried flowers. The mouth is fleshy, silky with fine tannins. A very nice length!
