Tasted in Gevrey-Chambertin with Philippe Chéron, pictured with son Hugo (left), 28 November 2022.
Philippe & Stéphanie Chéron
Domaine du Couvent
11 rue de l’ancien Hôpital
21220 Gevrey-Chambertin
Tel: +33 3 80 34 30 30
www.domaineducouvent.com
More reports with Domaine du Couvent / Varoilles
Philippe on 2022:
“We didn’t have the rain of Gevery and we lost 20-30% in some areas – so we have more than 2021 but not as much as 2017 or 2018 – but we can be happy!”
Philippe on 2021:
“2021 was a really low volume. Not the heterogeneity of 2020 but only 15 hl/ha – so that’s 30-40% less than normal. I didn’t need the pigeage to extract like in 2013 and 2014 from that respect it’s still quite a modern style of vintage. Some cuvées are 12.5-13° and I didn’t feel the need to add sugar.”
We tasted in the old domaine of Missery-Cheron in Nuit St.Georges – this domaine now have two cuveries – here is larger than the Varoilles premises in Gevrey-Chambertin. Grivelet was once based at this address in Nuits. The name, Grivelet, went when Heritiers Guyot was bought by Boisset – the Grivelet labelling originating as the operation of an old family from Chambolle. All of Couvent’s 2021s are in this great cellar in Nuits – potentially with space for 400 barrels. Philippe has done a few rackings but nothing is planned for bottling until the Springtime.
The wines…
It was clear on first tasting that here was a hidden gem of a domaine – this second tasting shows 2021s that are largely excellent and a couple that are worth a special search. Super!
2021 Marsannay Langeroies Blanc
A new parcel – 0.31 ha but only 4 barrels due to the frost – ‘I’m happy to have this, it’s my only white and I liked making Charlemagne and Puligy during my time at Belland.’
Broad and fresh with a hint of creamy cushion from the barrels. Supple, cushioned, creamy – clean and tasty wine.
2021 Bourgogne Pinot Noir
A couple of parcels adding up to a third of a hectare – 6 barrels. A little wc in this.
A nicely vibrant nose – faintly spiced and red-fruited. Broad and fresh – good and incisive. Clean, complex, some finishing sucrosity too. This is an excellent Bourgogne
2021 Marsannay Clos du Roy
A second new addition for the domaine. Two parcels in the high part – 0.47 ha – but only 4 barrels because of the altitude/frost.
Broader, fuller, fine slightly darker fruit. Supple – nicely textured, modest tannin with hardly any grain – classy, pure fruit flavour here. A little darkly mineral finishing line too – Super – just a lovely wine.
3 barrels each of the two following:
2021 Gevery-Chambertin Les Seuvrées
Much more airy, redder fruit, quite floral – that’s lovely and the 50% whole cluster is hardly visible. Wider, more incisive, more mineral and saline too. Super clarity of finishing flavour. Simply excellent…
2021 Gevery-Chambertin Clos du Couvent
Always the earliest growing parcel – mid-Gevery surrounded by walls. The old park of the Convent that housed the cuverie of Varoilles – just a stone’s throw from the Mairie of Gevrey.
A fuller and rounder nose – Freshening up and becoming more floral with air. More concentration, fuller, nicely silky – red fruit of course. A generous and delicious wine.
The previous are ready for bottling – next from barrel:
2021 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos des Meix des Ouches
A bit more than a hectare under Fontenys & Craipillots. ‘Volume not bad’ for the vintage.
A nose that freshens well with air – lots of red fruit – intermediate in openness and generosity and nicely saline finishing – I like this finishing energy.
2021 Chambolle-Musigny Cuvée de 40 ouvrées
12 different parcels and 9 climats – 1.78 ha – or 40 ouvrées.
Cliché floral and open nose. A little fuller – properly structured but with a nice depth and, again, generosity of flavour in the middle and finish.
2021 Chambolle-Musigny Clos de l’Orme
0.36 ha – their largest parcel of villages Chambolle so vinified apart
Bigger in all directions – deep and impressive aromatics here. Broad, supple, generous once more, faintly grained from the tannin and with plenty of creamy oak – I hardly note the 50% wc. That’s a delicious, fuller wine but still with fine energy.
A parcel starting at Cros Parantoux and then heading up the hillside. Sandy limestone here – there’s 30m difference in height between the top and bottom of the parcel.
Very quickly this becomes pure and complex – nicely frank aromatics here. Really wide and cool across the palate. Intense, nicely juicy – simply excellent again – potentially a great villages!
2021 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Champonnets
A slope here that heads up to Ruchottes – 1.15 ha of more clay soil in two parcels here – it’s the vines that are more different – so vinify the two parcels separately.
Nice fresh breadth, slightly graphite minerality together with this red fruit. Supple, broad, melting over the palate – this has lovely, and quite mineral, personality as it slowly goes off into the distance…
The narrow band at the top of the hill but not that much slope as we have already reached the top here – pale soil – not much clay, it’s mainly the degenerated limestone as soil. An old source in the middle of these vines too. Over a hectare and not many barrels due to the frost – plus 1-2 more barrels were lost to the wild boar – who just got in before the harvest – this the last parcel to be harvested, usually.
The purest and directly, most impressive nose so far – so fine, clean and perfumed – yes. Supple – but with beautiful, and intense flavour – melting beautifully. A faint spice rising from the aromas at the finish – yes – bravo!
2021 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Les Feuselottes
The third new parcel of the domaine – 0.4 ha between the cemetery and the village.
A faintly spiced width – then very fine red fruit – lovely. More vertical in the mouth – rounder with airy, melting and bubbling with energy. Saline again. This is lovely wine, again with an engaging salinity in the finishing flavours.
Very old vines here says Philippe. ‘Our only inconvenience is that the parcel is a little small at 0.21 ha’ – first vinified here in 2016. Only 2 barrels – planted by grandfather – the last of his vines to return to the domaine in 2015.
Super perfumed – 100% wc – but so fine perfumed nothing gothic here. Wide, pure, detailed, with just enough cushion for the fine energy – that’s a great, great, indeed voluptuous Nuits!
2021 Clos de Vougeot
It’s the appellation where I have the least variation in yield. 25 hl from 2 hectares. One-third towards the bottom – the other two-thirds are mid-clos next to Liger-Belair on the Vosne side. I’m not looking for power, I’m looking for coherence.
A smaller nose but still of purity and interest. Supple – but growing in both breadth and energy. The most intense finishing note – small but vibrant. Very lovely – a wine with some grand cru subtility!
2021 Charmes-Chambertin
From the high part of Mazoyères opposite Latricières – half a harvest in this vintage.
More depth and width in this depth of aroma. Vertical, cool, direct, silky – ooh – that’s very, very fine – a mineral wine with gorgeous intensity – there’s a subtle power to this wine. Quite chalky texture in the finish. Simply an excellent Charmes!
There is one response to “du Couvent – 2021”
Bill, Do you know who is US distributor? Hoping to see you in early November.
I asked the question: “Notre gros importateur US est North Berkeley Imports. Berkeley CA
Et nous avons un petit importateur côte Est qui est Ansonia Wines à Philadelphie.”
Cheers!!