Gevrey-Chambertin wine
Encyclopedia
Gevrey-Chambertin
Gevrey-Chambertin is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department of France in the Bourgogne region in eastern France.It lies 15 km South of Dijon. This touristic, winemaking village is situated on the Route des Grands Crus in the Côte de Nuits...
and Brochon
Brochon
Brochon is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France.-Population:-Wine:Some of the vineyards in Brochon are part of the appellation d'origine contrôlée Gevrey-Chambertin, and some are part of Fixin appellation. Most are however only entitled to the Côte de Nuits-Villages appellation....
in the Côte de Nuits
Côte de Nuits
The Côte de Nuits is a French wine region located in the northern part of the Côte d'Or, the limestone ridge that is at the heart of the Burgundy wine region. It extends from Dijon to just south of Nuits-Saint-Georges, which gives its name to the district and is the regional center...
subregion of Burgundy
Burgundy wine
Burgundy wine is wine made in the Burgundy region in eastern France, in the valleys and slopes west of the Saône River, a tributary of the Rhône. The most famous wines produced here - those commonly referred to as "Burgundies" - are red wines made from Pinot Noir grapes or white wines made from...
. The Appellation d'origine contrôlée
Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée
Appellation d’origine contrôlée , which translates as "controlled designation of origin", is the French certification granted to certain French geographical indications for wines, cheeses, butters, and other agricultural products, all under the auspices of the government bureau Institut National...
(AOC) Gevrey-Chambertin may be used only for red wine with Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir
Pinot noir is a black wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes...
as the main grape variety. There are nine Grand Cru vineyards within the commune of Gevrey-Chambertin, Chambertin
Chambertin
Chambertin is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée and Grand Cru vineyard for red wine in the Côte de Nuits subregion of Burgundy, with Pinot Noir as the main grape variety. Chambertin is located within the commune of Gevrey-Chambertin, and it is situated approximately in the centre of a group of...
and eight others called Chambertin in combination with something else, such as Chapelle-Chambertin
Chapelle-Chambertin
Chapelle-Chambertin is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée and Grand Cru vineyard for red wine in the Côte de Nuits subregion of Burgundy, with Pinot Noir as the main grape variety...
. While Gevrey-Chambertin also has several highly regarded Premier Cru vineyards, it has a particularly large amount of vineyards at the village level for a Côte de Nuits appellation. This is because the vineyards of the AOC stretch further to the east (beyond the N74 road) than in most neighbouring AOCs.
Wine style
Gevrey-Chambertin wines are highly colourful and potent for being Burgundies, with intense aromas and flavours evoking blackcurrantBlackcurrant
Blackcurrant, Ribes nigrum, is a species of Ribes berry native to central and northern Europe and northern Asia, and is a perennial....
, cherry
Cherry
The cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus Prunus, and is a fleshy stone fruit. The cherry fruits of commerce are usually obtained from a limited number of species, including especially cultivars of the wild cherry, Prunus avium....
, musk
Musk
Musk is a class of aromatic substances commonly used as base notes in perfumery. They include glandular secretions from animals such as the musk deer, numerous plants emitting similar fragrances, and artificial substances with similar odors. Musk was a name originally given to a substance with a...
and liquorice, among others. The potency of Gevrey-Chambertin wines makes it a suitable accompaniment to stews and strong-flavoured cooking, such as grilled red meat, leg of mutton, beef Bourguignon
Beef Bourguignon
Beef bourguignon or bœuf bourguignon , also called beef Burgundy, and Boeuf à la Bourguignonne, is a well known traditional French recipe....
, rabbit stew, coq au vin
Coq au vin
Coq au vin is a French braise of chicken cooked with wine, lardons, mushrooms, and optionally garlic.While the wine is typically Burgundy, many regions of France have variants of coq au vin using the local wine, such as coq au vin jaune , coq au Riesling , coq au pourpre , coq au Champagne, and so...
, coq au Chambertin
Coq au vin
Coq au vin is a French braise of chicken cooked with wine, lardons, mushrooms, and optionally garlic.While the wine is typically Burgundy, many regions of France have variants of coq au vin using the local wine, such as coq au vin jaune , coq au Riesling , coq au pourpre , coq au Champagne, and so...
, and strong cheese
Cheese
Cheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....
s, including Époisses de Bourgogne.
Production
In 2008, 409.65 hectares (1,012.3 acre) of vineyard surface was in production for Gevrey-Chambertin at village and Premier Cru level, making it the largest village-named appellation of the Côte de Nuits, and the second largest of the Côte d'Or, just behind Beaune AOC. In the same year, 17,282 hectoliter of red wine was produced, corresponding to just over 2.3 million bottles.AOC regulations
The AOC regulations allow up to 15 per cent total of ChardonnayChardonnay
Chardonnay is a green-skinned grape variety used to make white wine. It is originated from the Burgundy wine region of eastern France but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand...
, Pinot Blanc
Pinot Blanc
Pinot blanc is a white wine grape. It is a point genetic mutation of Pinot noir. Pinot noir is genetically unstable and will occasionally experience a point mutation in which a vine bears all black fruit except for one cane which produced white fruit....
and Pinot Gris
Pinot Gris
Pinot gris is a white wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. Thought to be a mutant clone of the Pinot noir grape, it normally has a grayish-blue fruit, accounting for its name but the grape can have a brownish pink to black and even white appearance...
as accessory grapes in the red wines, but this is not practiced very often. The allowed base yield is 40 hectoliter per hectare, and the grapes must reach a maturity of at least 10.5 per cent potential alcohol for village-level wine and 11.0 per cent for Premier Cru wine.
Premiers Crus
The 26 climatCLIMAT
CLIMAT is a code for reporting monthly climatological data assembled at land-based meteorological surface observation sites to data centres. CLIMAT-coded messages contain information on several meteorological variables that are important to monitor characteristics, changes, and variability of climate...
s in Gevrey-Chambertin listed below are classified as Premier Cru vineyards. Some of the Premier Cru vineyards are located around the group of Grand Cru vineyards, south of the village, while some are located together on a slope to the northwest of the village. Their wines are designated Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru + vineyard name, or as just Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru, in which case it is possible to blend wine from several Premier Cru vineyards within the AOC.
In 2007, 78.24 hectares (193.3 acre) of the total Gevrey-Chambertin vineyard surface consisted of Premier Cru vineyards. The annual production of Premier Cru wine, as a five year average, is 3,259 hectoliter.
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Clos Saint-Jacques, which is situated in the centre of the group of Premiers Crus to the northwest of the village, is typically the most highly regarded Premier Cru vineyard of Gevrey-Chambertin. The wine from this and some other vineyards often command prices higher than many Grand Cru wines from Côte de Nuits.
Grands Crus
The nine Grands Crus all lie to the south of the town, on both sides of the Route des Grands Crus
Route des Grands Crus
The Route des Grands Crus is the name of a tourist route situated in Burgundy, France.The approximately 60-kilometre route runs along the foot of the Côte d'Or escarpment, from Dijon in the north to Santenay in the south. Thus it runs through many of the great appellations of Burgundy wine, hence...
. Chambertin is the most famous of these vineyards. Chambertin-Clos de Bèze may also be called Chambertin, without the "Clos de Bèze" part, and Charmes-Chambertin and Mazoyères-Chambertin both have the same production zone, meaning that these names can be used interchangeably by producers.