Les Goulots is a small Premier Cru climat at the northern end of the Gevrey-Chambertin vineyard. It is one of the most elevated sites in the Cote de Nuits, and is planted entirely to Pinot Noir. Wines made in this tiny vineyard tend to be quite rustic and full bodied for red Burgundy: certainly more so than the structured, elegant wines of the Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru climats.
Here in the northern part of the commune, the steep vineyards on the edge of the Cote d'Or face almost due east, giving vines an exposure that is quite different to the climats further south. Les Goulots shares this characteristic, and the mesoclimate here is much cooler, as shade comes to the vineyard much earlier in the day than in the south-facing vineyards directly west of Gevrey-Chambertin village, including the famed Clos Saint-Jacques vineyard.
This five-acre (2ha) site is rocky and stony, although there is a high level of calcareous clay underlying the topsoil. In fact, in the past, this field was prized for the high quality of this clay, which was dug out and used to make bread ovens. Now the field is given to viticulture, the clay provides a well-drained soil with plentiful water storage deep in the ground, making the vines reach deep for hydration. This leads to healthy vines that produce high-quality berries.
Les Goulots sits at the treeline of the Cote d'Or, its highest point lying at around 1200ft (370m) above sea level. It is only surpassed in altitude within Gevrey-Chambertin by the neighboring Combe au Moine vineyard, one of the highest sites in Burgundy.
