Domaine Duroche : Gevrey-Chambertin 1er cru "Lavaut Saint-Jacques" Vieilles Vignes 2018

Tasting Notes and Serving Suggestions for the Domaine Duroché Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru "Lavaut Saint-Jacques" Vieilles Vignes 2018

Tasting

Color

This wine shows a deep purple robe, remaining somewhat translucent at the rim, a reflection of the fruit's ripeness and the finesse that characterizes the Duroché style rather than an overly extracted, opaque hue.

Nose

The nose opens on a rich array of black and red fruit, with notes of black cherry, blackberry, raspberry and wild strawberry. Light wood smoke and undergrowth aromas add depth, while subtle floral touches and a hint of black pepper bring further complexity to the bouquet.

Palate

The palate is medium to full-bodied, elegant and enveloping, fine-boned, lively and delicately extracted. A tight structure and bright acidity frame firm yet perfectly ripe tannins, while a fresh wave of red fruit, raspberry and black pepper carries through to a long, flavorful finish.

Food and wine pairings

This Gevrey-Chambertin 1er cru pairs beautifully with red meats and feathered game, particularly roasted preparations served with root vegetables and reduced jus. It also complements veal or poultry dishes prepared with wild mushrooms, as well as rich, savory fare such as seared foie gras with a fruit chutney.

Serving and cellaring

Thanks to its firm tannic structure and lively acidity, the Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru "Lavaut Saint-Jacques" Vieilles Vignes 2018 is built for cellaring and will continue to gain complexity over time. Decanting ahead of service is recommended to allow the aromatics to fully unfold.

A Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Shaped by Old Vines and the Freshness of the Combe de Lavaux

The Estate

Domaine Duroché is a family-run property located in the heart of Gevrey-Chambertin, in Burgundy's Côte de Nuits. The domaine was established in 1955, when Philippe Duroché installed a new cellar at the Place du Monument and formally adopted the Domaine Duroché name, building on a family winegrowing tradition dating back to 1906. Today the estate is run by Pierre Duroché, alongside his wife Marianne, over roughly 8 to 8.5 hectares focused almost exclusively on Gevrey-Chambertin, farmed without herbicides or insecticides.

The Vineyard

The Lavaut Saint-Jacques premier cru lies in the Combe de Lavaux, a dry valley above the village of Gevrey-Chambertin whose winds bring cooling freshness to the slopes. The soils combine brown limestone with scree and clay. Within this roughly 1.2-hectare premier cru, planted between 1923 and 1980, a single plot dating from 1923 is vinified separately to produce the Vieilles Vignes cuvée. These old vines, farmed through massale selection and careful pruning, naturally produce small, shot berries that are concentrated and healthy.

The Vintage

The 2018 growing season in Burgundy was warm overall, but sufficient rainfall in May replenished soil moisture early on, helping the vines withstand the heat of summer without excessive stress. This balance of warmth and underlying freshness allowed the grapes on Lavaut Saint-Jacques to reach full ripeness while preserving natural acidity.

Winemaking and aging

The Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru "Lavaut Saint-Jacques" Vieilles Vignes 2018 is fermented without added sulfur, with gentle, moderate extraction to preserve finesse. The wine is then aged for about twelve months in barrel, with only a small proportion of new oak and no racking during this period, in order to avoid tiring the wine. Bottling takes place without fining, and filtration, when applied at all, is kept extremely light.

Grape Varieties

100% pinot noir.