Prieuré Roch's Chambertin-Clos de Bèze 2018 in magnum, from a hot, generous year that gave dark, ripe and richly coloured reds. The large format suits a wine with this much stuffing.
About This Wine
Prieuré Roch's 1.0136 hectares face the rising sun at 240 to 250 metres, over a subsoil of Prémeaux limestone. Higher up the soil is brown earth with silt and gravelly scree, while the slope below turns to clay-limestone. 2018 followed a wet winter that filled the water table, so the vines coped with an uninterrupted hot summer. The crop was large, colour was deep and many growers kept more stems in the warm conditions, which suits a whole-bunch house like this.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Blackberry, black cherry and plum, with violet, liquorice and stem spice.
- Palate: Full and ripe for Pinot, with velvety tannins, good depth and fresh acidity holding it in line.
- Finish: Long, dark-fruited and savoury.
Serving & Food
Open the magnum two hours ahead or decant it, and serve at 16 to 17°C. Ripe years can close up in middle age, so it is best from about 2028 into the 2040s. Pair with slow-roast lamb shoulder, braised beef cheek, or roast pigeon.
How to Enjoy
Laying down in large format, and for those who like a riper, fuller grand cru.
Product Details
Producer: Domaine Prieuré Roch
Country: France
Region: Côte de Nuits, Burgundy
Appellation: Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru
Vintage: 2018
Grape: Pinot Noir
Village: Gevrey-Chambertin
Format: 1.5L magnum
About the Domaine
Henry-Frédéric Roch died in November 2018, aged 56, only weeks after this vintage was picked. The domaine has since been run by Yannick Champ, who had worked alongside him from 2002 and became co-manager in 2010.
Champ and his team have kept to the approach Roch set: organic farming with nothing synthetic in the vineyard or cellar, whole-bunch fermentation and no added sulphite. Since 2018 they have also added parcels, including Savigny Dessus les Gollardes that year and the Gevrey premier cru Clos des Varoilles in 2020.