Charmes-Chambertin

Charmes-Chambertin is a Grand Cru appellation in the commune of Gevrey-Chambertin in Burgundy. The delimited vineyard areas are located in the lieux-dits Aux Charmes and Mazoyères; grapes from Mazoyères may, according to established practice, bear the name Charmes-Chambertin.

The vineyard lies at the foot of the Côte de Nuits on a slightly raised terrace at an altitude of about 260 to 280 metres and is predominantly oriented to the east. The plots of Aux Charmes turn slightly towards east-northeast, those of Mazoyères somewhat more strongly towards the south; the slopes are consistently gentle. The cool-oceanic climate is shaped by continental and southern influences. The annual rainfall is around 750 millimetres, the average annual temperature about 10.5 °C.

The site above the foot of the hillside helps protect against morning mist, reduces the risk of frost and enables the soil to warm up quickly after sunrise. In the western area, hard limestone from the Bajocian is present, while the eastern part has a deeper subsoil in connection with the Tertiary formations of the Bresse plain. The terrace is covered with calcareous-clayey, gravel-rich deposits from an alluvial fan from the dry Combe Grisard valley. The shallow, weakly developed, carbonate-rich soils are well drained and contain a lot of clay as well as red silt.

Pinot Noir is the most important grape variety. Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris are permitted as mixed secondary planting and may together account for at most 15 per cent per plot. A minimum of 9,000 vines per hectare is required, a row spacing of no more than 1.25 metres and a distance of at least 0.50 metres within the row. Short pruning and simple Guyot are permitted, with at most eight fruit-bearing buds per vine. Irrigation is prohibited, as is any substantial change to the shape of the land, subsoil or topsoil, with the exception of conventional deep ploughing. Yields are set at 45 hectolitres per hectare, with an upper limit of 53 hectolitres.

The appellation is reserved for still red wines from the delimited plots; the grape variety may not be stated on the label. The wines are described as dense and tannin-forward, yet also fine, with complex aromas that often combine red fruit with spice or undergrowth notes, as well as with clear ageing potential. Continuous pressing and the use of wood chips are forbidden. The wines must mature for at least until 15 June of the year following the harvest; during maturation, the temperature of the containers must not exceed 25 °C. Release to consumers is permitted from 30 June of this year. The appellation was recognised by decree in 1937; its name may be supplemented with Grand Cru.