Gevrey-Chambertin Champerrier Vieilles Vignes 2022

Village. Champerrier, Gevrey-Chambertin. Pinot Noir from 0.30 ha, the smallest parcel in the domaine, acquired in 2007. Planted in 1958, vines 68 years old this year. Shallow clay and silt over limestone with small stones. North of the village toward Brochon, on the Brochon side of the appellation, downslope from the premier cru Champeaux. Sixteen months in barrel, a quarter new.

Gevrey is the biggest village of the Côte de Nuits and the first with grands crus coming south. Its village land spreads in two directions: south toward Morey on the slope, and north across the Brochon boundary on the flatter ground. Champerrier is in the north, the Brochon end, below the Combe de Lavaux where cold air pours out of the hills at night, and under Champeaux and Les Évocelles. The northern Gevrey lieux-dits, Champerrier, Les Évocelles, En Champs, La Justice across the road, are the “other” Gevrey: stonier, shallower, cooler, lighter than the Morey side. Those who like them call them the Gevreys with lift. Brochon has no appellation of its own; its best land is sold as Gevrey, the rest as Côte de Nuits-Villages, which ties this parcel back to Boulardes at the other end of the Côte.

Guillaume calls it “un Gevrey féminin et joufflu,” a feminine Gevrey with full cheeks, and would rather let the barrel finish the tannins than extract more of them.

Fully de-stemmed with two thirds of the berries kept whole, a week cold before fermentation starts on its own, warmed slowly with few punch-downs. Aged sixteen months in barrel on the fine lees under CO₂, sulfur added late, racked once before bottling.