2023 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru

Bertrand Dugat greeted me as the church clock struck two o’clock outside the winery. He told me that he conducted a green harvest, in particular for their Bourgogne Rouge. Picking commenced on September 4 and it was the first time that he has been at the maximum yield. As usual, everything is destemmed and the wines will go through a second winter in barrel. This is a small portfolio of wines crowned by three Grand Crus. That will fall to two next year as the Chapelle-Chambertin was en fermage and bought by a Swiss investor. But even the entry-level wines demonstrate wonderful purity of fruit and finesse, quite different from the more concentrated style of their father. Quantities are very small, especially by Burgundy’s standards, but they will be even tinier next year. Although there are three barrels of Griotte-Chambertin in 2023, there will be just one in 2024.