Gevrey Chambertin 'Dix Climats', Domaine Drouhin-Laroze, 2021
Gevrey Chambertin 'Dix Climats', Domaine Drouhin-Laroze, 2021
- 75cl
- 12.5%
- Red Still
- Pinot Noir
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Optimal drinking window: Now - 2034
Domaine Drouhin-Laroze's 'Dix Climats' captures the essence of village Gevrey-Chambertin through a thoughtful blend of ten different vineyard parcels. This approach creates a wine that speaks to the commune's character rather than any single site, offering the structure and earthiness that makes Gevrey famous without the premium of Grand Cru pricing.
We find this 2021 showing the vintage's combination of freshness and concentration beautifully. The wine has that distinctive Gevrey backbone - serious without being stern, with red cherry fruit wrapped in the sort of mineral precision that comes from old vines and careful winemaking. Give it until 2028 to fully integrate, then enjoy until 2040.
The 'Dix Climats' blends fruit from ten different village-level parcels within Gevrey-Chambertin, each contributing distinct characteristics to the final wine. These vineyards sit on the classic Burgundian combination of limestone and clay, with varying exposures and elevations that create natural diversity in the blend. The soils range from the iron-rich clay that gives Gevrey its structure to lighter, more limestone-heavy patches that contribute finesse. This patchwork of terroirs, unified by the commune's continental climate and eastern exposure, creates a wine that captures Gevrey's essential character.
Gevrey-Chambertin sits at the northern end of the Côte de Nuits, producing some of Burgundy's most structured and age-worthy Pinot Noirs. The village is home to nine Grand Crus, more than any other Burgundian commune, including the legendary Chambertin itself. Village-level Gevrey-Chambertin like this 'Dix Climats' offers an accessible introduction to the commune's character - that distinctive combination of red fruit, earth, and mineral backbone that sets it apart from its more delicate neighbours like Chambolle-Musigny. The appellation rules require 100% Pinot Noir and strict yield limits to maintain quality.
The 2021 growing season in Burgundy started badly and got worse before pulling off one of wine's great escapes. Spring frost in April devastated vineyards across the Côte d'Or, followed by a summer that alternated between biblical downpours and scorching heat. Many producers lost 50% or more of their crop to the frost alone, then watched hail batter what remained in some unlucky villages. By August, with rot creeping through rain-soaked vineyards, even the most optimistic vignerons were writing off the vintage.
What emerged from this chaos surprised everyone: wines with remarkable freshness and purity, if you can find them. The tiny yields meant those grapes that survived were intensely concentrated, while the September sunshine saved the day with perfect ripening conditions. We find the reds show beautiful fruit clarity without heaviness, drinking with an immediacy that makes them irresistible now but promising a decade or more of evolution. The whites are particularly stunning, with a mineral intensity that cuts through their richness. Yes, there's not much 2021 Burgundy about, and yes, it's expensive, but this is one of those vintages where disaster bred greatness.
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