Gevrey-Chambertin 2020 – Domaine Claude Dugat

The grapes to produce the Gevrey-Chambertin Domaine Claude Dugat were 100% destemmed. After crushing, the must was cold soaked prior to fermentation for a period of six days. Fermentation took place immediately in concrete vats, but there was virtually no pumping over so as to avoid too tumultuous a fermentation. Grapes were punched down twice a day. Total vatting time was about two weeks after which the juice was left to settle for two days before going to barrel. The wine was then matured in French oak barrels for 18 months, of which 50% was new.

The vines are situated in the commune of Gevrey-Chambertin. They are planted on clay and limestone soil and are Guyot pruned. The Domaine practices la ‘lutte-raisonée’, the vineyards are monitored continuously throughout the year, tended to by hand in order to keep the amount of required treatments to a minimum.

Domaine Claude Dugat, established in 1955, is widely considered one of the top producers in Gevrey-Chambertin. It is a small family-run domaine, with Claude and Marie-Thérèse’s children – son Bertrand and daughters Laetitia and Jeanne – taking over the running of the six hectare estate. The domaine practices sustainable viticulture, never using fertilisers or herbicides. The aim is to have a light touch in the vineyard and to harvest the grapes when they are just ripe. Ripeness (and the harvest date) is determined solely by taste rather than by lab analysis, with the wines always having a signature freshness because they never pick late. The concentration and intensity of the wines is derived primarily from old vines and low yields.