Domaine du Couvent
Gevrey-Chambertin | Côte de Nuits | BurgundyWinemaker Philippe Chéron and his son, Paul, are a dream team from Gevrey-Chambertin and represent the third and fourth generations of talent in their family.
The name Domaine du Couvent is essentially new in the grand tapestry that is Burgundy. This winery was born as of the 2020 vintage, and we are thrilled to be the first importer of Domaine du Couvent in the country. Totaling some 25 acres in the Côte de Nuits, the estate owns a grand diversity of terroirs, including parcels in Gevrey, Chambolle and Vougeot, as well as Vosne and Nuits — of which three vineyards are estate monopoles, extraordinary plots that Philippe and Paul tend exclusively.
Philippe’s family for generations has owned land in Burgundy; Philippe himself was winemaker at Domaine Misset-Chéron for more than a decade before the opportunity to combine this estate, and holdings from the former Domaine des Varoilles in Gevrey (also partially family owned), arose. The “couvent” is a former convent in Gevrey, and within its walls you’ll find one of the estate’s monopole vineyards, the ‘Clos du Couvent’ – now the namesake of this new domaine.
Philippe and Paul care for their vines according to organic principles (the estate is not certified), and in the cellar, winemaking is as natural and traditional as can be. Wines are aged slowly in the estate’s very cold cellars in Nuits-Saint-Georges, and very little sulfites are added (generally only at bottling).
FARMING & WINEMAKING
Grapes are harvested by hand in small cases, and sorted in both the fields and the cellar. Grapes are destemmed but not crushed; after a brief cold soak, fermentation on indigenous yeasts takes place in either cement or stainless steel tank, both temperature-controlled. Wines are aged on fine lees for around 15 months, without racking or added sulfites. Around 20% new oak barrels are used each vintage. Wines are bottled unfined, but are lightly filtered.
WHITE WINES
Marsannay Blanc 'Les Longeroies'
A natural extension of Marsannay’s grand terroir, ‘Clos du Roy,’ ‘Les Longeroies’ represents the estate’s unique white wine, a soulful Chardonnay with high-altitude freshness and stone fruit concentration.
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Bourgogne Pinot Noir 'Les Jumelles'
A seriously overachieving Bourgogne, this pure Pinot Noir hails from two perfect parcels in Gevrey-Chambertin: ‘Les Grands Champs’ and ‘Prunier.’ The two vineyards are so identical, in soil and exposition and vine age, that winemaker Philippe Cheron christened this cuvee ‘Les Jumelles” — the twins.
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Marsannay Rouge 'Clos du Roy'
Cultivated by the dukes of Burgundy back in the 13th century, the historic vineyard of ‘Clos du Roy’ is Marsannay’s top terroir, for its unique soils and exposition. Endlessly silky, with heady spice and summer-ripe fruit.
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Chambolle-Musigny 'Quarante Ouvrées'
A stunning blend of terroir from all around Chambolle, 12 different plots with varying expositions and soils translates as a love letter to the floral beauty and elegance of this historic Cotes du Nuits village. An ouvrée is a ancient Burgundy measure, representing the area a field hand can prune in a single working day. The wine’s name, ‘Quarante Ouvrées’ or 40 ouvrées, is the total measure of the estate’s Chambolle holdings, the fruit from which is blended together for this wine.
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Chambolle-Musigny 'Clos de L'Orme'
A vibrant, aromatic Chambolle, situated high up on the slope on richly mineral, alluvial soils — a legacy of erosion from the “combe” of Chambolle. Structured yet refined, wonderfully rich and complex.
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Vosne-Romanée 'Les Barreaux'
One of Vosne’s higher-altitude plots, at the forest line, ‘Les Barreaux’ is pure and direct, with airy purple fruit and a translucency to terroir that is stunning. Estate holdings are surrounded by premier crus on three sides, with grand cru Richebourg just downslope.
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Gevrey-Chambertin 'Clos du Couvent' Monopole
A petit, walled vineyard at the site of an 18th century convent, ‘Clos du Couvent’ is an estate monopole and inspiration for the domaine’s name, to boot. The family Chéron owns and farms this one-acre plot exclusively, for a wine both expressive and structured, one that will “touch your heart,” says winemaker Philippe Chéron.
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Gevrey-Chambertin 'Clos du Meix des Ouches' Monopole
South of premier cru ‘Champonnet’ and east of the village center one finds ‘Clos du Meix des Ouches,’ a walled vineyard and another estate monopole holding. Here rich clay and limestone soils, with plenty of alluvial gravel, provides a fertile base for a Burgundian Pinot Noir with lots of texture and suave fruit.
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Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru 'Aux Murgers'
Near the border with Vosne, ‘Aux Murgers’ is one of the estate’s smallest holdings, yet represents perfection nonetheless for winemaker Philippe Cheron: east-facing, rich in clay and limestone soils, located on a gentle slope. Just the spot to craft a Nuits with silk and substance, structured yet elegant.
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Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru 'La Romanée' Monopole
An exceptional and unique premier cru vineyard, ‘La Romanée’ sits high up in the valley of Chaudron and faces full south, with ideal “marne blanche” soils, limestone marl that is also very stony. Some 80 years ago the plot was planted half to Chardonnay; today it is a source of vibrantly mineral, structured Pinot Noir wines. This more than two acre vineyard is a monopole, farmed and harvested exclusively by winemaker Philippe Chéron.
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Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru 'Champonnet'
This excellent premier cru vineyard is the natural extension of grand cru Ruchottes-Chambertin to the north. Here stony limestone soils give birth to an expressive, exuberant wine, a “great classic” of Gevrey, says winemaker Philippe Chéron.
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Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru 'Les Feusselotes'
One of Chambolle’s most treasured terroirs, ‘Feusselotes’ is delicacy and intensity at once, with heady floral notes and a rich yet supple core of blue and red fruits. A wine that will age for decades with grace.
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Clos du Vougeot Grand Cru 'Aux Origines'
It was with these few rows in Clos du Vougeot that the Chéron family story in Burgundy began. Winemaker Philippe Chéron’s grandfather in the 1930s purchased vines in this legendary grand cru; and the rest, as they say, is history. Today the family farms more than five acres of vines here in two separate parcels; one in lieu-dit ‘Baudes Saint-Martin,’ the other in ‘Baudes Hautes,’ closer to Flagey. Small, intense red fruits; violets and licorice; so much history and elegance in a single bottle.
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Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru 'Aux Mazoyères'
Composed of mostly older vines (60+ years), family holdings in grand cru Charmes-Chambertin are found on a small rise at the top of Mazoyères, not far from grand cru Latricières-Chambertin. Intense aroma, sumptuous and refined; winemaker Philippe Chéron likes to include full clusters in his fermentation of this less-than-one-acre plot, for even more complexity.
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Established: 1930 (reformed 2020)
Winemaker: Philippe Chéron
Region: France • Burgundy • Côte de Nuits • Gevrey-Chambertin
Vineyard size: 25 acres
PRACTICING ORGANIC
