The Tb points given to this wine are the world’s most valid and most up-to-date evaluation of the quality of the wine. Tastingbook points are formed by the Tastingbook algorithm which takes into account the wine ratings of the world's best-known professional wine critics, wine ratings by thousands of tastingbook’s professionals and users, the generally recognised vintage quality and reputation of the vineyard and winery. Wine needs at least five professional ratings to get the Tb score. Tastingbook.com is the world's largest wine information service which is an unbiased, non-commercial and free for everyone.
Wine Description
The Story
History & tradition: were there "charmes" (beech trees) growing here at one time? Or were people just referring to the characteristics of the wine? A 19th Century official document does mention the "untilled land of charmes"...
Soil: outcroppings of limestone with thin topsoil; rocky soil with some marl.
Viticulture
Plantation density: 10,000 vinestocks/ha in order to extract as much as possible from the terroir and limit the production of each vine stock.
Pruning: Guyot.
Yield: 38 hl/ha - purposely low, in order for the grapes to reveal every nuance of the terroir.
Grape Supply: grapes and wines provided by regular supply partners.
Vinification
Maceration:
maceration and vinification take 2 to 3 weeks
indigenous yeasts
maceration and fermentation temperatures under total control.
Joseph Drouhin seeks total control of the process of extraction; extraction gives colour and substance but should never be detrimental to the finesse and typical character of the wine.
Ageing
Type: in barrels (20% in new oak).
Length: 14 to 18 months.
Origin of the wood: French oak forests.
Weathering of the wood: Joseph Drouhin insists on total control of the weathering for a period of 3 years, one of the contributing elements to the elegance of the wine.
Throughout the ageing process, decisions are taken only after careful tasting evaluation, barrel by barrel. The data obtained is then completed through technical analysis. As with every other Joseph Drouhin wine, absolute priority is given to the true expression of terroir and character of the vintage.
Tasting note by Véronique Boss-Drouhin
"A generous and distinctive wine, often superb. The colour is intense and bright. On the nose, the first impression that arises is that of cherry. Then, woody and fine spicy aromas appear, with an elegant hint of musk in some vintages. The flavours are extraordinary in their richness and harmony, neither too rough nor too heavy. The architecture of the wine is held up by fine and noble tannins, giving the body a silky texture (called "gras"). Acidity brings energy and liveliness to the whole. The aftertaste is a pure delight".
Temperature: 16°C (61-62°F).
Cellaring: 5 to 20 years.
Wine Information
A generous and distinctive wine, often superb. The colour is intense and bright. On the nose, the first impression that arises is that of cherry. Then, woody and fine spicy aromas appear, with an elegant hint of musk in some vintages. The flavours are extraordinary in their richness and harmony, neither too rough nor too heavy. The architecture of the wine is held up by fine and noble tannins, giving the body a silky texture (called "gras"). Acidity brings energy and liveliness to the whole. The aftertaste is a pure delight.
Vintage 2019
“2019 is ‘the perfect storm’ of a vintage,” said Laurent Drouhin of top negociant house Drouhin, which owns vineyards in many parts of Burgundy. “We keep smiling because some wines will be great.” The mix included the hottest temperatures since the time of the Black Death 700 years ago (!), frost in April, rain in June, and no rain for nearly four months.
Drouhin’s harvest started on time on Sept. 13, and Laurent’s winemaking brother Frederic reports, “The first reds show an intense and beautiful color, good concentration, great balance and acidity and depth. The whites also show good richness with balance.” It’s a great year for reds, with slightly higher alcohol than usual.
The downside is very low yields. In just one April night, frost destroyed about 30% of the crop in Macon, though what’s left is making wines with good acidity and aromas.
Export company Le Serbet gathered reports from 65 producers in its portfolio, and head of marketing Peter Wasserman says the loss of grapes varies from vineyard to vineyard; in some places it may be as much as 50% to 60% lower than normal. Northern appellations such as Gevrey-Chambertin seem to have done best, down only 10%.
With less wine, you might predict even higher prices, but producers worry that this would drive away consumers.
