Domaine René Bouvier : Charmes-Chambertin Grand cru 2017

Tasting Notes and Serving Suggestions for the Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru 2017 from Domaine René Bouvier

Tasting

Color

This wine displays a deep, intensely colored red hue, enhanced by beautiful bluish and violet tones typical of the wine’s youth, with garnet highlights that reflect the juice’s natural concentration.

Nose

The nose reveals striking intensity of small red fruits, notably redcurrant, alongside distinct notes of clove and white pepper. After aeration, the bouquet gains complexity with aromas of toasted bread, blackcurrant cream, camphor, and elegantly musky touches. Notes of ripe black fruits, coffee, blond tobacco, kirsch-soaked cherries, and a hint of menthol complete this wonderfully rich aromatic palette.

Palate

On the palate, the wine unfurls a remarkably elegant structure with a subtle, finely licorice-tinged chew. The attack is precise, the palate full-bodied, fleshy, and complex, supported by a fine tannic frame that is still youthful yet silky. The velvety, intensely savory texture wraps around lingering notes of black fruits and spices. A powerful mineral tension, brought by the limestone nature of the terroir, energizes the whole and creates a sensation of freshness that deliciously contrasts with the wine’s generous substance. The licorice finish stretches long on the palate with impressive aromatic persistence.

Food and Wine Pairing

This Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru 2017 pairs beautifully with slow-cooked red meats such as seven-hour lamb or a herb-crusted saddle of lamb with orange-glazed turnips and rosemary. It also goes wonderfully with a Tournedos Rossini, duck confit with Sarladaise potatoes, lacquered pork with meat jus and a vegetable wok, or a venison stew. On the cheese side, Époisses makes a particularly harmonious match with this Grand Cru.

Serving and Cellaring

To fully appreciate the expression of this Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru 2017, serve it at a temperature between 16 and 17°C. Aeration for at least one hour before serving is recommended, ideally in a decanter. This wine offers outstanding aging potential: drink from around 2030, with a peak window between roughly 2037 and 2047, and the ability to age until around 2052 and beyond.

A Powerful Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru with Beautiful Richness

The Estate

Based in Gevrey-Chambertin, this Burgundy estate traces its origins to the 1950s, when René Bouvier took over the helm of the domaine founded by his father in 1910 in Marsannay. Run since 1992 by Bernard Bouvier, this family estate oversees a 30-hectare vineyard farmed with deep respect for the environment.  This terroir comprises 23 hectares dedicated to red wines and 7 hectares to whites. 

The Vineyard

Charmes-Chambertin is one of the largest and most prestigious of the nine grands crus of Gevrey-Chambertin, spanning around twenty-seven hectares. This exceptional terroir benefits from an ideal east-facing exposure and an altitude between 260 and 280 meters. The soils feature limestone outcrops covered by relatively thin layers, with a notable presence of stones and marl. This distinctive geological composition—particularly the very high proportion of active limestone combined with stony elements—encourages the production of wines of great finesse and remarkable mineral tension. The Domaine René Bouvier parcel covers thirty ares of Pinot Noir planted on this limestone soil mixed with clayey scree, stones, and silt. The old vines, around sixty-five years old at the time of the 2017 vintage, give the wine exceptional concentration and complexity.

The Vintage

The year 2017 in Burgundy was marked by contrasting weather conditions. After a mild winter, spring saw episodes of frost followed by a prolonged heatwave from mid-May to mid-August, with exceptional sunshine and periods of drought. The welcome rains at the end of August allowed for optimal ripening, revealing berries of remarkable generosity and balance. Harvest took place under sunny weather, making it possible to pick grapes at perfect ripeness.

Winemaking and Aging

The Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru 2017 grapes were harvested entirely by hand, with rigorous double sorting—first in the vineyard and then at the winery. Vinification included 50% whole clusters, allowing for gentle extraction of tannins while preserving aromatic freshness. Aging took place over approximately eighteen months in oak barrels, 30% of which were new, reflecting the estate’s commitment to showcasing the expression of the terroir without excessive masking by oak.

Grape Variety

100% Pinot Noir