Tasting new releases from the small, family-run Burgundy domaine of Gérard Raphet has become a mark-the-calendar event for us. These are very traditional, ageworthy red Burgundies crafted by true, old-school ‘vignerons’ who live and breathe their vines. And, as expected, they did not disappoint in the acclaimed 2015 vintage: This 2015 Bourgogne Rouge, called “Les Grands Champs-Cuvée Unique,” is a special barrel selection for Raphet’s West Coast importer, sourced from a choice single vineyard just southwest of the village of Gevrey-Chambertin.
It is, without a doubt, one of the most cellar-worthy wines you’ll find at the ‘Bourgogne Rouge’ level. We were utterly charmed by the aromatic complexity of this wine, and its fine-grained tannins and fresh acidity foretell a long life ahead. As we’ve noted in previous offers, this is effectively a ‘village’ Gevrey-Chambertin without the accompanying price tag—another over-achieving wine from a vineyard that somehow (rather inexplicably in this case, as you will read below) ended up outside the line of demarcation. It’s one to grab in quantity and squirrel away, so that in 5-10 years you can show off your shrewdness to your more label-obsessed friends. The quality greatly exceeds the price here and we have purchased as much as we could.
Check out this
map; as you can see, the vineyard is surrounded on 3 sides by Gevrey-Chambertin appellation vineyards—“Pressonnier,” “La Burie” and “Croix de Champs.” How is it possible that this site fell outside the line? If you were to stand in the Grand Cru of Chambertin Clos de Bèze and look about 1,000 meters downhill, you would see Les Grand Champs. Often, vineyard sites are left out of appellation labeling for slight differences in elevation, slope and/or soil composition. With the Les Grand Champs however, my palate distinguishes no difference—this wine is marked with textbook Côte de Nuits aromas and is more reminiscent of the wines from the neighboring appellations of Chambolle-Musigny and Morey-Saint-Denis than Gevrey itself. At this point in its life, this 2015 is driven by really forward, fruity aromatics, while on the palate there is more more earth and dried flowers. In time, that will broaden into something more supple and sweet.
Though the winery itself is located in the village of Morey-Saint-Denis, the vineyards for this wine are located about a ten minute drive north of the estate. Gérard Raphet, who took over the Domaine from his father in 2002, manually works his vines which are located mostly in the Côte de Nuits. He farms his vineyards with an approach known as lutte raisonnée, or, ‘the reasoned struggle,’ a methodology that is effectively organic in its aversion to chemical inputs. This method of farming implies using only organic products in the vineyards, unless under extreme circumstances for difficult vintages. With this in mind, Gérard and his team (which in recent years includes his daughter, Sylviane) use traditional cultivation methods and harvest only by hand. The grapes undergo strict sorting before fermentation with natural yeasts, and then the wines are put in French oak barrels (roughly 15% new) for between 12 to 18 months depending on the wine.
The 2015 Les Grand Champs has a highly reflective dark ruby red core that moves to pink and garnet reflections on the rim. It has a classic youthful Pinot color, but the aromatics are explosive: notes of ripe strawberry, fresh black cherries, persimmon, black tea, wild herbs, forest floor and wet rocks all lift from the glass like a vapor. The palate is medium-bodied and full of red currant, fresh red plum, pomegranate, a hint of cranberry, wet flowers and a touch of baking spice. This is an elegant, gently structured wine with beautiful fruit and classic Burgundian characteristics, but it needs air. Ideally decant this wine for at least 30-45 minutes before drinking from large Burgundy stems. This wine is solid now, but nowhere close to as good as it will be in 3-4 years. If you’re enjoying it now, tame it with something with a little fat that will bring out the best in both.
These Roasted Pork Shanks will match beautifully.
