Posted in Appellations, Burgundy, Vineyards, Wine on May 6, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Les Brouillards: This 5.63 hectare Premier Cru climat of lies in the northern sector of Volnay adjacent to the border with Pommard. Les Brouillards is situated on the east side of RN73, just north of Les Mitans. Facing east, southeast from an elevation of 250-260 meters, the vineyard, rockier in the upper portion of the vineyard with deeper soil down below, exhibits less limestone with a loose covering of shale.
The name suggests that in ancient times the site was a dense and marshy thicket.
Posted in Appellations, Burgundy, Vineyards, Wine, tagged Domaine de Montille, Marquis d’Angerville on May 6, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Les Champans: This 11.19 hectare Premier Cru climat lies south of the village of Volnay, downhill from Les Taillepieds, southeast of the RN 73. Facing east, southeast from on a moderately steep slope varying between 250-280 meters, the clay-limestone soil is shallow and rocky. Good sources of Les Champans include Domaine de Montille and Marquis d’Angerville.
The name derives from the local description for a sloping field.
Posted in Appellations, Burgundy, Vineyards, Wine, tagged Domaine de Montille, Marquis d’Angerville, Volnay on May 6, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Les Taillepieds: This 7.17-hectare Premier Cru climat lies just south of the village of Volnay, in the central section of the commune, immediately to the north of Clos des Chênes. Facing east, southeast, with an elevation ranging between 280 and 320 meters, and planted on hard marl and limestone colluviums, Les Taillepieds is among the best vineyards in Volnay.
The name [tailler (cut) + pieds (feet)] suggests that the steepness of slope and the sharpness of the rocks have conspired over the years to cut many a foot.
The Les Taillepieds of Domaine de Montille has achieved almost iconic status, although Marquis d’Angerville is another good source.
Posted in Appellations, Burgundy, Vineyards, Wine, tagged Domaine de la Vougeraie on May 5, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Les Evocelles: This 10.44-hectare climat is situated in the commune of Brochon but is entitled to the AOC Gevrey-Chambertin. The vineyard is located high up the hill at the northwesterly-most point in viticultural Gevrey. The name derives from a corruption of Les Broselles, referring to a patch of scrubland. All of the adjacent and neighboring vineyards are designated Premier Cru. Les Evocelles enjoys a favorable south, southeast exposition and lies on the same calcareous soil as its neighboring Premiers Crus Champeaux and Combe aux Moines. While it is unclear why Les Evocelles missed out on the more prestigious denomination, arguably the high elevation of the vineyard, at almost 400 meters, occasionally affects the ripeness of the grapes in cool vintages. An excellent source is Domaine de la Vougeraie.
Posted in Appellations, Burgundy, Vineyards, Wine, tagged Domaine de la Vougeraie on May 5, 2010| Leave a Comment »
La Justice: This 18.27-hectare climat in Gevrey-Chambertin is itself comprised of two subclimats of approximately equal size. The downhill subclimat is rich in alluvial gravel whereas the uphill parcel has very thin topsoil. The vineyard lies to the east of the town at a hollow in the hill that has benefited over the millenia from the alluvial flow of diverse minerality. By tradition, the name of this vineyard derives from its function in years past as a place where executions by hanging and guillotine were carried out. It beggars credulity, however, to suppose that the blood of aristocrats beheaded following the French Revolution can have much enriched the terroir and its wines. There are numerous owners of this vineyard although the most consistent source of elegant and concentrated wines comes from the Domaine de la Vougeraie.
Posted in Appellations, Burgundy, Vineyards, Wine on May 5, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Latricières-Chambertin, grand cru : This 7.35-hectare Grand Cru climat, situated in the commune of Gevrey-Chambertin, is comprised of two subclimats, Latricières at 6.90 hectares, and Aux Combottes at .45 hectares. The vineyard lies at the southern end of the commune, at the border with Morey-St-Denis, to the west of Chambertin and waet (uphill) of Charmes-Chambertin. Facing east from an altitude of 280 meters, the vineyard lies over a limestone base with topsoil consisting of a crumbly mixture of clay, silt and limestone.
The name of the vineyard derives from “la tricière”, old Burgundian argot for a worthless parcel of land unsuited for agriculture. There are nearly fifteen separate owners of the vineyard.
Posted in Appellations, Burgundy, Vineyards, Wine on May 5, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Chapelle-Chambertin: This 5.48-hectare Grand Cru climat, situated in Gevrey-Chambertin, is comprised of two subclimats, En la Chapelle at 3.69 hectares, and Les Gémeaux at 1.79 hectares. Both abut the RN 74, just east and downhill from Clos-de-Bèze. Facing east from a gentle slope lying at 260 meters, the vineyard’s soil is shallow and pebbly on top of a Bajocian limestone base.
The name of the vineyard recalls a chapel built on the site by the monks of Bèze in 1155.
Posted in Appellations, Burgundy, Vineyards, Wine on May 5, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Charmes-Chambertin (including Mazoyères-Chambertin). If Chambertin and Clos-de-Bèze are the undisputed kings of Gevrey-Chambertin, just so is Charmes-Chambertin the undisputed crown prince. At 30.83 hectares, Charmes-Chambertin, a Grand Cru climat in Gevrey-Chambertin, is more than twice the size of any other Grand Cru in the commune. Charmes-Chambertin is comprised of two lieux-dits, Aux Charmes at 12.25 hectares, and Mazoyères at 18.58 hectares. Both climats may be bottled as Charmes-Chambertin, and usually are. Wine from Mazoyères, however, may also be bottled as Mazoyères-Chambertin, or as Charmes-Chambertin, Les Mazoyères.
The Charmes-Chambertin vineyard lies south of the Beaune-Dijon Road (RN 74), with the Mazoyères parcel between Latricieres-Chambertin and the RN74; and the Aux Charmes lieu-dit just to the south of Chambertin. The vineyard faces east from an altutude of 260 meters. The base is Bajocian limestone, and the shallow overlying soil consists of decomposed limestone (called lave), clay and gravel.
Of all the Grands Crus of Gevrey-Chambertin, Charmes is the most forward in its development, and provides the easiest drinking, early on. It is also among the most feminine. One is very tempted to call the wine “charming”, which would be an accurate descriptor, but the vineyard name actually derives from the word “Chaume” and refers to the fact that it was at one time a fallow field.
Posted in Appellations, Burgundy, Vineyards, Wine on May 5, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Chambertin, Clos-de-Bèze: This 15.40-hectare Grand Cru climat, situated in Gevrey-Chambertin, lies immediately north of Chambertin, and extends north along the western side of the RN 74 until Mazis-Chambertin.
Interestingly, Clos-de-Bèze is actually the oldest vineyard in Gevrey, older even than Chambertin. Following a gift of the vineyard to them by the Duc Amalgaire de Bourgogne, the monks of Bèze planted the vineyards around 630 A.D. Only after Clos-de-Bèze came under the jurisdiction of Cluny around 900 did the monks decide to plant the area now comprising Chambertin. Perhaps it is for this reason that Clos-de-Bèze may legally be sold as Chambertin, Clos-de-Bèze, but Chambertin may not.
Like Chambertin, Clos-de-Bèze faces east from a similar altitude of 275-300 meters. The soil is a mixture of clay-limestone-pebble over a base of Bajocian limestone. The wines from the Clos-de-Bèze are only subtly different from Chambertin, with Clos-de-Bèze perhaps exhibiting a bit more liveliness as well as greater delicacy.
Posted in Appellations, Burgundy, Vineyards, Wine, tagged Domaine Armand Rousseau. on May 5, 2010| 1 Comment »
Chambertin: This 12.90-hectare Grand Cru climat, situated in Gevrey-Chambertin, is preeminent in the commune and one of the most famous vineyards in the world. It lies to the west of the RN 74, and between Latricieres-Chambertin and Chambertin, Clos-de-Bèze. Facing east on a gentle slope from an altitude of 275-300 meters, Chambertin is well protected from the westerly winds by the forest of the Montagne de la Combe-Grisard, the soil is clay-limestone colluvium mixed with oolitic pebbles over a base of Bajocian limestone.
The wines of Chambertin are among the most powerful and assertive of red Burgundies. In their youth, they are sturdy and full, often a bit austere, but well-structured and loaded with black fruit. As they age, they become rounder, more generous and more complex.
The most respected producer of Chambertin is Domaine Armand Rousseau.
Jockovino 