Prieuré Roch's Chambertin-Clos de Bèze 2019 comes from just over a hectare in the middle of Gevrey-Chambertin's oldest walled vineyard. The vintage gave small, concentrated crops with fresh acidity, and this is a grand cru for long keeping.
About This Wine
Clos de Bèze was laid out in the 7th century by monks of the Abbey of Bèze, passed to the canons of Langres in 1219, was broken up and sold after the Revolution, and was classed grand cru when the appellations were drawn up in 1937. Prieuré Roch's 1.0136 hectares lie in the heart of the Clos, on the Route des Grands Crus between Gevrey-Chambertin and Morey-Saint-Denis. The parcel faces east at 240 to 250 metres, on Prémeaux limestone: brown soil with silt and gravelly scree higher up and clay-limestone on the slope. The 2019 season was dry and warm after April frost, and yields were low: about 1.2 million hectolitres for Burgundy against an average of 1.5 million. Berries were small and thick-skinned, giving concentration with finesse.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Black cherry, wild strawberry and violet, with stem spice, earth and a mineral lift.
- Palate: Deep but fresh, with velvety, very fine tannins and a savoury core.
- Finish: Long and generous, closing on dark fruit and stone.
Serving & Food
Give it an hour or more in a decanter if opened before 2028, and pour at about 16°C into a wide Burgundy glass. It should keep well into the late 2030s. Match it with roast venison loin, beef Wellington, or Peking duck.
How to Enjoy
Serious Burgundy cellars and an occasion dinner built around game.
Product Details
Producer: Domaine Prieuré Roch
Country: France
Region: Côte de Nuits, Burgundy
Appellation: Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru
Vintage: 2019
Grape: Pinot Noir
Village: Gevrey-Chambertin
Estate Holding: 1.0136 ha in the heart of the Clos
Volume: 750mL
About the Domaine
Domaine Prieuré Roch was created in 1988 by Henry-Frédéric Roch. It now covers about twenty hectares spread over long-established terroirs in Gevrey-Chambertin, Vosne-Romanée, Vougeot, Nuits-Saint-Georges, Ladoix and Savigny-lès-Beaune.
The holdings run from Coteaux Bourguignons for everyday drinking, through village and premier cru Vosne-Romanée and Nuits-Saint-Georges, to the two grands crus of Clos de Bèze and Clos de Vougeot. Everything is farmed without synthetic products and vinified as whole bunches.