Chambertin

Chambertin is a Grand Cru site in the municipality of Gevrey-Chambertin in the Côte de Nuits in the French Burgundy. The vineyard lies on an east-facing slope at a height of around 240 to 280 metres.

The upper slope sections have shallow, sometimes alluvial, sometimes brown soils formed from slope debris. In the lower area, clayey-limestone soils are found. The rock of the upper slope is Bathonian, while the lower marls and limestones come from the Jurassic and Bajocian.

The appellation comprises 13.14 hectares of vineyard area. At least 9,000 vines per hectare are prescribed, a row spacing of at most 1.25 metres and a spacing within the row of at least 0.50 metres. The short pruning and the simple Guyot training system are permitted, with at most eight fruiting buds per vine.

A permanent cover crop of the headlands is mandatory; irrigation is prohibited. The permitted yield is 42 hectolitres per hectare, with the maximum yield limit at 49 hectolitres per hectare.

Chambertin is a French Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée for still red wine, produced mainly from Pinot Noir. Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris are permitted as supplementary grape varieties and are limited together to 15 percent per parcel. The designation on the label must carry the addition “Grand Cru”.

The wines are described as deeply coloured, full-bodied and complex, with firm tannins that are at the same time velvety. Their aromatic spectrum may include red and black fruits, liquorice, spices, violets and undergrowth. The maturation must last at least until 15 June of the year following the harvest; the temperature of the vessels may not exceed 25 °C.

The name Chambertin has been documented since the 13th century. The boundaries of the vineyard are considered to have remained unchanged since the Middle Ages. The Chambertin Grand Cru appellation was officially established on 31 July 1937.