Gevrey-Chambertin, the Big Daddy of the Côte de Nuits
My pneumonic device for memorizing the major villages of the Côte de Nuits is (from north to south):
My | Marsannay
Friends | Fixin
Good | Gevrey-Chambertin
Morning | Morey-Saint-Denis
Come | Chambolle-Musigny
Visit | Vougeot
Vivian | Vosne-Romanée
Now | Nuits-Saint-Georges
Marsannay and Fixin have been gaining recognition as more affordable alternatives to the shockingly expensive villages. However, Gevrey-Chambertin is really where I feel like the intrigue and the shockingly high prices really begin in the Côte de Nuits.
Some interesting facts to know about Gevrey-Chambertin:
(1) It's the largest wine-producing village in the Côte d'Or with 9 grand crus and 26 premier crus. It has more grand crus than any other Burgundy village.
(2) Gevrey-Chambertin incorporates 12% of its village-level vineyards from its northern neighboring village, Brochon, which sits in between Fixin and Gevrey-Chambertin.
(3) It was the first Burgundy village to start the practice of hyphenating its name with the name of one of its most famous vineyards (in this case, Chambertin).
(4) Out of the 26 premier crus, the major one to know is Clos Saint-Jacques. It rivals the reputation and prices of many grand cru sites in Burgundy, and the wines can cost anywhere from $200 to $2,000+ a bottle. This premier cru currently only has 5 owners (Armand Rousseau, Bruno Clair, Michel and Sylvie Esmonin and Jean-Marie Fourrier).
(5) A major domaine to know is Armand Rousseau. Not featured here because of the scary high prices, the domaine is one of the Gevrey greats, with grand cru wines from 5 of the 9 grand crus of Gevrey-Chambertin, 1 grand cru in Morey-Saint-Denis (Clos de la Roche), the largest holdings of Chambertin Grand Cru and a piece of Clos-Saint-Jacques, as noted above.
What's your favorite Gevrey-Chambertin wine you have ever had? Cheers!
