2020 Gevrey-Chambertin Le Clos

Pierre Duroché was in fine form when I met him just before picking in Gevrey-Chambertin. He filled me in on the 2021 vintage first. “In 2021 the vineyard did not suffer too much due to dryness,” he explained, “but we lost crop from coulure, so eight cuvées comprise just one barrel. The average across the range is 20hl/ha. But the dryness meant the sanitary conditions were good. With the millerandage, we kept a good level of acidity. We had low levels of sugar so we had 12.5° to 13.5°.” We will broach that vintage next year, but now let’s focus on the 2020 vintage. “We started with the Griotte-Chambertin on August 19 because it risked getting overripe, then we started with others two days later. The week before, there had been around 20mm of rain, but otherwise it was so dry that the grapes were beginning to shrivel for the Griotte. The pH was 3.7 already and the seeds were brown. There are a lot of stones on Griottes, which makes it ripen quickly. We finished with the Chambertin this year because of the clone or rootstock. We picked that in two hours, though. The wine will be aged in barrel for one year and in less than 10% new oak for the largest cuvées. For the single-barrel cuvées, it is third or fourth fill. No sulfur was added during the fermentation, and just a little after malolactic. It reminds me of the 2012 or 2010.” This was a sublime set of wines from Pierre Duroché, their only drawback being the minuscule quantities, even in vintages that are more benign. “I prefer 2020 because it more precise and silkier than 2019. It’s more concentrated, a step up because of lower yields, while the acidity keeps the freshness.” These wines are an exemplar of transparency, all poise and tension, yet with an aerial intensity. Readers may spot a one-off cuvée, a 2020 Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Vieilles Vignes, to celebrate the centennial of its planting in 1920 by Duroché’s grandfather. Readers should look out for a special Duroché-themed article in 2022 – you’ve been warned!