Gevrey-Chambertin
Styles
Principal grape varieties
Accessory grape varieties
Terroir
Natural factors
- Côte de Nuits: N/S tectonic relief stretching approximately 25 km, between limestone plateaus to the west (400–500 m) and the Bresse plain to the east (~250 m).
- Cool oceanic climate with continental influences: ~750 mm/year, annual mean temperature 10.5°C, with thermal shelter provided by the Morvan massif to the east.
- The escarpment face (~150 m of elevation change): Bajocian–Bathonian limestones, including the 'calcaire de Comblanchien', form the structural backbone of the relief, interbedded with Bajocian marls.
- Between Gevrey and Brochon, an uplifted fault block brings Liassic (Lower Jurassic) marls to the surface at the lower slope.
- The 'Combe Lavaux' opens onto a calcareous gravelly alluvial fan 2–3 km wide; soils follow a toposequence: thin and calcareous at the top, increasingly clay-rich toward the footslope. (via Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0)
Human factors
- Planting density exceeds 9,000 vines/ha; Pinot Noir N is the dominant variety; wines are aged for several months to develop their capacity for cellaring. (via Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0)
Product characteristics
- Ruby colour, bouquet of small red fruits, dense yet velvety tannins; nuances vary according to the 'climat' of origin.
- Age-worthy wines: several years are needed to reveal their aromatic potential; 10 to 20 years for premier and grand cru wines. (via Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0)
Terroir / wine link
- Shallow soils rich in clay and iron oxides → powerful, deeply coloured wines with long ageing potential; gravelly soils of the Combe Lavaux → fruitier wines with a lighter structure.
Facts drawn from the cahier's terroir-link section (Lien au terroir) by automatic interpretation — see the source.