Chambertin-Clos-de-Bèze is a prestigious lieu-dit of the famous Le Chambertin Grand Cru vineyard at the northern end of the Côte d'Or. It is planted entirely to Pinot Noir, making a wine that is classically Gevrey-Chambertin: full-bodied, concentrated and structured, and worthy of being aged for many years.
(© BIVB / Gaudillere T.)
The vineyard is one of several grand cru sites in one contiguous plot on the Côte d'Or. The Chambertin vineyard is at the heart of this, covering land on the best part of the hill, where the soil and sunshine combine to make one of the greatest red wines in the world. Clos-de-Bèze covers the northern part of Chambertin, and is one of the northernmost grand cru vineyards on the Côte d'Or, save for Mazis-Chambertin and Ruchottes-Chambertin.
Alone, Chambertin-Clos-de-Bèze covers 15 hectares (37 acres) of land. The soils here are similar to in Chambertin, made up of pebbly, free-draining limestone with a good proportion of clay. This nutrient-poor terroir ensures that the vines do not expend too much effort on leafy vigor, instead producing small, intensely flavored berries that make high-quality wines. The sunny southeastern aspect has also proved well suited to the Pinot Noir that grows here – the grapes reach full ripeness while retaining essential acidity in Burgundy's cool continental climate. As a result, Clos-de-Bèze wines are incredibly well balanced.
The historic status of Chambertin and Clos-de-Bèze has long been attributed to Napoleon, who liked to drink wines from the vineyard. In 1847, as a result of having such a high-profile proponent, Gevrey voted to add the name of its most prestigious vineyard to the town's name, making it Gevrey-Chambertin. On top of this, all of the vineyards that shared a border with Chambertin were also permitted to take the name as suffix. Clos-de-Bèze is the only vineyard that has the Chambertin name as a prefix, and all wines made in the vineyard may be labeled as Chambertin (but not the other way around).
Several of Gevrey-Chambertin's top producers own land in the Clos-de-Bèze lieu-dit, including Armand Rosseau, Drouhin-Laroze, Domaine Faiveley and Pierre Damoy, which has a sizeable 5-ha (12-acre) parcel of vines.
