Charmes-Chambertin
Grand Cru 2017
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.
Viticulture
Grape variety: pinot noir
Soils: limestone and marly pebbles, not very thick.
Orientation: East
Surface area under vine: 0.3639 ha
Pruning: Guyot system
Yield: 21 hL/ha
Average age of the vines: 35 years old.
Vinification
Harvest date: 15 September 2017.
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 18 days including 3 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.
Ageing
Maturation: aged on the lees for 18 months with no racking using 100% 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 May 2019.
Number of bottles: 1,019.
Vintage
2017, finesse
The growing cycle was thrown off-kilter by a very cold winter, late spring frost, then optimal conditions for rapid flowering, sporadic hail, and summer drought. Harvesting began in early September in the sun, and after several lean years, the vines finally produced abundant grapes, although with significant differences in maturity between whites and reds and from one region to another, which called for strict sorting.
Ageing potential: 10 years and more.
Tasting notes
With its beautiful brilliant ruby color, this wine develops intense aromas of wild strawberries with some woody notes. A dense and smooth wine with a concentrated mouthfeel, fine tannins.
