Domaine Duroche Chambertin Clos-de-Beze Grand Cru

The young Pierre Duroche is progressively taking over from his father Gilles after having joined this 8.5 ha domaine full time in 2005. Duroche described the 2015 vintage as one that was “much easier” in the vineyards than any between 2011 and 2014. The flowering was fast but suffered somewhat from the heat so there was some shatter. We began picking between the 4th and 11th of September and brought in super clean and ripe fruit that was easy to vinify. I used around 50% whole clusters for three of the grands crus and 100% for the Griotte. Quantities were about the same as we realized in 2013 though they were disparate as they varied between 15 and 30 hl/ha. While it’s still very early the 2015s seem extremely promising in the sense that they will probably drink well young but age well too.

Fruit for this epic Grand Cru bottling from Duroche comes from 100-year-old vines and is whole cluster vinified in barrel. The resulting wine is meaty and concentrated, marked by flavors of black cherry, smoke, charred wood, violet petals, and wet earth. The wine’s solid structure, tension, and zesty acidity make this a top pick for the cellar. Lay down and revisit in 7-10 years.