Domaine Robert Chevillon

One of the greatest of the Burgundy estates, Robert Chevillon is for many commentators THE reference in Nuits St Georges. Firstly, there is nothing but Nuits made here. Secondly, there is an exhaustive range of crus, showing the different personalities of the different sites - tasting here constitutes a practical and fascinating lesson in 'terroir'. Thirdly, the domaine has maintained some extraordinarily old vines, ensuring a rare degree of c...

The Chevillon domaine operates out of the backstreets of Nuits-Saint-Georges, with a fine range of vineyard holdings on both sides of the village. To the north, towards Vosne-Romanée, one finds Les Chaignots and Les Bousselots. To the south, the thin strip of 1er Crus at around 250m altitude runs from Les Pruliers, through Roncières and Perrières (a little higher) to the 'golden triangle' of Cailles, Vaucrains and Les Saint-Georges. This is re...

Chevillon believes in a long, slow vinification, with extraction of colour and tannins during and after fermentation rather than before. Cuvaisons last 3 to 4 weeks, sometimes longer. Temperatures are allowed to rise to 35°C before cooling coils are inserted into the vats. Malolactic conversions progress at their own pace, and the young wines are left on their fine lees for most of the first year. Use of new oak is limited - 25-30% for the 1er...

Robert Chevillon undoubtedly makes better wine than virtually any other grower in Nuits-Saint-Georges - all the critics agree on this. The question is why, and the answer disarmingly straightforward: he doesn't do anything wrong ! Vines are allowed to grow old, replaced one by one as they die; debudding and green pruning further limit the crop of these naturally low-yielding vines, ensuring concentration and character. Each parcel is picked at...