The artisanal Domaine Duroché has been crafting world-class red Burgundy from the heart of Gevrey-Chambertin for five generations now. Pierre Duroché started working with his father, Gilles, in 2005 and is now firmly and confidently at the helm of Domaine Duroché. A traditionalist in the very best sense, Pierre is following in the time-tested footsteps of his forbearers and crafts terroir-driven wines of ample elegance and finesse with the inimitable fingerprint of Gevrey-Chambertin. The family crafts 8.25 hectares of the appellation from Bourgogne Rouge all the way up to four Grand Crus. Before Pierre took the reins of the domaine, the village wines were blended and merely bottled as Gevrey-Chambertin, but Pierre saw more potential in some of their special lieu-dit holdings. Consequently, he crafted today’s ‘Les Clos’ as a single-vineyard bottling. Near the picturesque church in Gevrey, next door to his grandmother’s house and adjacent to Domaine Rousseau, the unique parcel of ‘Les Clos’ results in a classic red Burgundy with a distinct sense of place that is quintessentially Gevrey.

 

Pierre hand tends the family vineyards in an approach known as “lutte raisonée,” which translates to “reasoned fight,” and entails enriching the biodiversity of the land while avoiding non-organic approaches unless an emergency arrives. After hand harvesting and manually sorting the grapes, the fruit is de-stemmed and macerated with gentle punch downs followed by pump overs throughout the day. Fermentation is achieved only through natural yeasts over the course of 10-12 days. The wine is aged for 15-16 months in 15% new French oak, which allows a purity of place in the glass. The wine is rarely racked and is bottled without fining, filtration or enzyme additions. The result is a pure and authentic Gevrey-Chambertin of power, fine-grained tannins and mineral authenticity that retains every bit of elegance and charm that the celebrated appellation is known for.

 

The 2013 Les Clos displays a dark ruby core with garnet reflections on the rim. Dark, brooding and slightly spicy aromas of black plum and black cherry are woven into notes of grape stems, black tea, a hint of licorice, wet violets, damp bark, wild herbs and crushed clay with subtle, well-integrated baking spices. The palate is medium-plus in body with immense structure and weight that bolsters a delineation of fruit, reminiscent of the nose, along with tea leaves, clay and classic Gevrey characteristics that ensure a near perfect expression of the famous appellation. Although this wine is mesmerizing in its youth, its true beauty will only begin to show with 3-4 more years in the cellar. I highly advise keeping your hands off of a bottle or two for at least a few years as this wine will come into balance and easily outshine the majority of holdings in your cellar. Serve this wine with Lapin au Vin – or Rabbit prepared in the classic, Burgundian style – and enjoy.