2023 Chambertin Grand Cru

“We picked between September 5 and 18,” head winemaker Carel Voorhuis tells me at Camille Giroud’s winery in Beaune. There is a slightly truncated portfolio in 2023 due to expired contracts and a couple instances in which the quality of purchased fruit was not up to scratch. Therefore, there is no Chassagne Clos Saint-Jean, Gevrey-Chambertin Belair and Puligny Les Referts. “It’s getting harder and harder,” Voorhuis laments. “One of the critical issues in 2023 was to finish the alcoholic fermentation. After pressing, I kept the red cuvées cool and allowed the wild yeasts to transfer all the sugar that was available. Any sugar in the barrels risks Brettanomyces and volatility. Most of the reds are still fermented without SO2 and the wines will spend 15-18 months in barrel. All whites are fermented in barrel.”