Tasted in Gevrey-Chambertin with Philippe Harmand, 24 May 2022.
Domaine Harmand-Geoffroy
1, Place des Lois
21220 Gevrey-Chambertin
Tel: +33 3 80 34 10 65
www.harmandgeoffroy.com
The Domaine Harmand Geoffroy was founded in 1850. Today the winery covers approximately 9 hectares of vines and is run by Philippe Harmand who is the 5th generation of the family at the helm.
Six of the domaine’s hectares are Gevrey-Chambertin so they like to split the volume up with different cuvées. Counted amongst their wines is the interesting ‘high-altitude’ monopoly plot of La Boissière, a 1er cru in the Côte St.Jacques – almost in the Combe de Lavaux itself…
This is a domaine whose wines (a selection of) I’ve tasted for a number of years but in the presentation of the Roi Chambertin. Given that I have avoided large tastings in these covid years, I thought it high time that I paid a visit to the actual domaine!
Philippe was succinct about his previous two vintages: “In 2021 we were 25% in volume, in 2020 it was minus 50% – but lots of colour like I never previously saw! It’s a special vintage. Our harvest started on the 31st of August. All was destemmed. Practically no pumping, just moving for bottling.”
Philippe explains “I class our work as ‘lutte raisonné.’ We have no certification such as ‘organic’ but I rarely treat, often just 6 times in a whole year.”
A domaine that exports 70% of its production.
The wines…
I have long admired the wines from this domaine but with this first visit I found multiple wines that are worth a special search in their 2020 vintage – bravo!
All bottled in January except the last two which were done in April:
2020 Bourgogne Pinot Noir
A single parcel in Gevrey next to the sports centre
A textured depth of super darker red fruit aroma. Direct but fresh, really mouth-watering with super energy. That is delicious!
2020 Gevrey-Chambertin
More than 10 parcels mainly from the centre of Gevrey and in the plain.
More airy some extra perfume but a classy and earthy depth – thats super. Extra intensity but with freshness rather than richness, saline finishing – fine structure and good direction. Excellent plus!
Darker, a mineral extra to this nose. More fluid and dynamic. Great wine – energy no hard edges and long, graphite minerality in the finish.
A mix of vllages and 1er cru vines.
Airy, less impact but very attractive slowly adding violet aromas. Extra richness of flavour – better to say ‘generosity’ – but fine balanced and beautifully silky. That’s another super wine structurally very sophisticated. Mouth-watering waves of finishing flavour – practically great again…
2020 Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles-Vignes
On the Brochon side of the village with more altitude.
Here the fruit has an extra ripeness and a faintly spiced width. Super saline freshness, direct, structured wine, silky and saline finishing. Simply excellent…
2020 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Bossières Monopole
A cool sector – in the combe the last of the 1ers – lots of stones and younger vines.
A more airy nose, less impact. This has a beautiful style more elegant and perfumed but still with plenty of concentration – a slightly creamy impression. Very impressive wine for its position – simply excellent 1er cru!
‘This touches Clos Prieur but it’s very different in style’
Deep but fine points of interest and clarity. Broad, mouth-filling – a wine once more of fluidity – wide and sumptuous yet perfectly balanced. Bravo!
2020 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Champeaux
Pure fruit, a little cushioned, modestly spiced aroma with no excess. Depth, extra concentration, a very faint grain of tannin. Modest and attractive bitters. Another really fine effort here.
6 parcels that total 0.7 ha…
Less impact but it doesn’t need it – here’s a fine airy style that majors on elegance. – ultra fine texture, wide, some mineral energy, and so mouthwatering in and endless finish. Just a nose short of great wine today and I’m sure that will come!
2020 Mazis-Chambertin
90% new oak 3 parcels in haut and 3 in bas – 0.8 ha…
Hmm, some sweetness of concentrated dark fruit and no obvious oak. Width, really fine texture, concentration, generosity – always complex. For keeping to unlock a little more freshness than is visible today…