Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru Maison Roche de Bellene 2009

Lot presentation

Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru Maison Roche de Bellene 2009

The wine

Nestled in the heart of the Côte de Nuits region, the Charmes-Chambertin appellation is one of the nine Grands Crus of Gevrey-Chambertin, recognised as such in 1937. This incredible terroir, neighbour of the legendary Chambertin, owes its name to the once wasteland that was cleared there to plant vines. The Charmes climate, located at the bottom of the hillside, rests on brown limestone soils mixed with fine clay, rich in marl, which allows the grapes to ripen slowly and evenly. The deep soils give the wine a generous texture and fleshy structure. Once perfectly ripe, the grapes are hand-picked, partly destemmed, and fermented with indigenous yeasts in open vats before being aged for an extended period of 18 months in barrels.
This intensely ruby-red wine has a wonderfully complex nose of black fruits, violets, truffle and undergrowth. The wine is full-bodied, deep and silky on the palate with superb length and perfectly integrated velvety tannins.

Domaine Roche de Bellene was created in 2005 by Nicolas Potel after the purchase of several plots of vines ranging from Santenay to Vosne Romanée. The vines are aged from 50 to 110 years old and are grown organically. The domaine then launched a trading business under the name of Roche de Bellene which is discussed here.