
Overview
- Charmes-Chambertin (incorporating Mazoyères-Chambertin) is an Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée and Grand Cru vineyard known for red wine production of the Pinot Noir grape, located within the commune of Gevrey-Chambertin in the Côte de Nuits sub-region of the Côte d’Or in Burgundy.
- Surface area: 30.83 ha [1]
- Charmes-Chambertin (12.24 ha)
- Mazoyères-Chambertin (18.59 ha)
- Annual production: 980 hl [2]
- Owners: 67 [2]
History & Etymology
- The origin of the name Mazoyères is unclear. [2]
- Charmes likely comes from Chaume, a piece of vineyard cleared of stubble and abandoned at one time, which is subsequently replanted. [2]
Geography & Climate
- Location [2]
- Lies below the Route des Grand crus, beneath Latricières-Chambertin (Mazoyères) & Chambertin (Charmes).
- A portion of Mazoyères-Chambertin stretches down to the main road
- Only other grand cru to do so is Clos de Vougeot.
- Terroir: [2]
- Both vineyards appear relatively flat; however, they do slope slightly from west to east.
- Altitude: 260 -285 metres
- Soil:
- Surface soil is made is meagre, made up of decayed limestone (lave) with an abundance of gravel and stones at the lower levels.
- In the old days, lumps of iron were dug up in the vineyard by ploughing and sent off to a foundry in Langres to be worked into metal.
- In Charmes, the rock is less decomposed.
- Upper western portion: Calcaire à Entroques
- A north-south fault to the east of the road & a small croupe to the west mark the limits of Entroques
- Lower easterly plains: Comblanchien soils
- Surface soil is made is meagre, made up of decayed limestone (lave) with an abundance of gravel and stones at the lower levels.
Style of Wine
- Dry Red Wine from Pinot Noir.
- The wine of the Mazoyères section are firmer, fuller, & gamier but less fine, and less pure and fragrant than those of the Charmes.
- Wines from the Charmes-du-Haut are round and less sturdy but can have plenty of finesse.
- In good hands, the wines can be very enticing with:
- A violet and raspberry perfume
- A texture that can be velvety, even silky-smooth
- No lack of intensity
- Not quite the “Musigny” of Gevrey, but perhaps “Les Amoureuses.”
Notable Domaines
- Largest domaines by land: [2]
- Camus (Charmes: 5.90 ha; Mazoyères: 1.01 ha)
- Perrot-Minot (1.56 ha)
- Taupenot-Merme (1.42 ha)
- Armand Rosseau (1.37 ha)
- Arlaud (1.14 ha)
- Dujac (.70 ha)
- Dugat-Py (.47 ha)
- Geantet-Pansiot (.45 ha)
- Denis Bachelet (.43 ha)
- Christian Serafin (.31 ha)
- Ponsot (.30 ha)
- Claude Dugat (.30 ha)
- Michel Magnien (.28 ha)
- Christopher Roumier (.27 ha)
- Bernard Maume (.18 ha)
- Joseph Roty (.16 ha)
Food & Culture
- Write about the food and culture of this region as it relates to wine.
Sources
[1] Coates, Clive. Wines of Burgundy. University Presses of California, 2008.
[2] Norman, Remington. Grand Cru; The Great Wines of Burgundy Through the Perspective of Its Finest Vineyards. Sterling Publishing Co., Inc., 2011.