Champonnet is a Premier Cru climat just south of Gevrey-Chambertin village in the Cote de Nuits region of Burgundy. The vineyard is on the northern edge of the Grand Cru hillside (it counts Ruchottes-Chambertin among its neighbors) and similarly is planted to Pinot Noir. Champonnet Premier Cru wines are lighter and less robust than others from the area, displaying red fruit characters and silky tannins.
The vineyard lies, unusually for a Premier Cru, on a northeast-facing slope on the edge of the Combe de Lavaux, a valley perpendicular to the famous Cote d'Or escarpment that runs through Burgundy. Champonnet is one of several vineyards that separate Gevrey-Chambertin's Grand Cru vineyards from the town itself, alongside Craipillot and Clos de Chapitre.
The northeasterly aspect of the vineyard and cold winds that flow through the Combe de Lavaux mean that Champonnet has a cooler mesoclimate than the more sheltered Grand Cru sites that face southeast on the other side of the hill. While vines still have sufficient sunlight during the growing season to develop good sugars and acidity, the grapes lack the concentration of warmer, sunnier climats. It is perhaps no surprise that the steeper north-facing vineyards on the western border of Champonnet are not classified as Premier Cru: they are only sanctioned for use to make basic Gevrey-Chambertin wines.
The soil within the Champonnet vineyard is a mix of stony, clayey soil. The soil's high proportions of limestone are well-suited to the Pinot Noir that grows here, storing sufficient water for hydration while also providing plentiful drainage. Vines have to work hard for water, developing deep root systems that make them strong and encourage the growth of high-quality berries.
