Burgundy Focus 1: Duroché’s Clos de Bèze Grand Cru 1988-2020
BY NEAL MARTIN |
The Côte d’Or seems to be currently propagating fresh-out-the-box superstars more frequently than American Idol in its heyday. Of course, like any wine region, there are those that consumers anoint based on what they taste, and then there are wannabes that look in the bathroom mirror each morning and exclaim, “You da’ man!” Time will inevitably separate the wheat from the chaff, between those genuinely creating remarkable, lip-smacking delicious wine deserving all the applause and accolades that come their way and those more reliant on a snazzy label, an active social media profile and some billionaire hoping to corner the market before something else attracts their interest.
For this writer, Pierre Duroché is the real deal. Has been ever since I first met the former mountain climber, when his wines made such an impact that I sprinted back to my car and, before turning the ignition, began penning a standalone piece. I needed to rhapsodize the wines as soon as possible. Since that revelatory visit, I have become acquainted with Duroché and followed his ascent from being an insiders’ secret to one of Gevrey-Chambertin’s most beloved producers. The winery has been spruced up, likewise the chic but tasteful tasting room in tandem with the piecemeal expansion of his portfolio. Nevertheless, to the chagrin of many, quantities remain thimble-sized even by Burgundy’s standards. Duroché’s personality has remained unchanged throughout this elevation, unfailingly friendly and self-effacing, a winemaker patently driven by his métier while avoiding airs and graces.
Pierre Duroché pictured in his tasting room in Gevrey-Chambertin with
his wife Marianne Cacheux looking on.
I have been fortunate to conduct a previous vertical at the domaine in 2021, as well as taste occasional older vintages from the regrettably depleted cellar of library bottles. What seems like eons ago, an informal London tasting group hatched plans for a retrospective of Duroché’s Clos de Bèze. Gallantly led by Duroché fan Phil Clark, the tasting was delayed two or three times due to lockdowns and difficulty finding a time when all participants could meet with Duroché himself as our star guest. Finally, a date was found in January 2023 during the annual merchant tastings. Convening upstairs at La Cabotte, we assembled a dozen or so vintages that spanned both his and his father Gilles’ tenure.
“We own 0.25-hectares in Clos de Bèze from the bottom to the top in the almost central part of the appellation,” Pierre Duroché explained. “In the south part, our neighbor is Bruno Clair and in the north, Gérard Peirazeau. The vineyard was planted in 1920 with quite a high density, close to 13,000 vines per hectare. We have eight rows, so almost all the surface is planted. There is always millerandage and a small quantity of grapes per vine, but as the density is high, the yields are still good, on average from 18 to 30hL/ha. Normally, we start the harvest with Griotte, Charmes-Chambertin and Gevrey Etelois, followed by the north part of Gevrey-Chambertin, then Clos-de-Bèze and Latricières. For Clos-de-Bèze, we keep on average 15 to 20% of whole bunches (and 50% for the Hommage). There is no sulfite addition during harvest. There’s only alcoholic fermentation with some CO2 addition. It’s around two days before the fermentation starts using natural yeast, followed by 12 days of maceration with some pigeage and remontage. After de-vatting and pressing, with one day of settling, we normally use old barrels, between two and seven years old, for the maturation. Wines undergo one year without racking and two months in vat before bottling with no fining or filtration.”
