Philippe Charlopin

Philippe Charlopin moved from Marsannay to Gevrey Chambertin soon after he began to make his mark as one of a new breed of dynamic vigneron. His wines have been rapturously received in the USA, a little more calmly in the UK. Perhaps this is explained by their immediately sumptuous style but, at least judging from the wines of the 1980s and 1990s, less aptitude for developing with age.
 
He is now assisted by son Yann and has moved to vast new modern premises in Brochon, necessary for processing the grapes from the 25 hectares they now own or farm, ranging from Chassagne-Montrachet to Chablis though still centred on reds from the Cote de Nuits. Not bad for a lad who began with 1.5ha from his parents in 1976!
 
The vineyards are farmed à la lutte raisonée though there is some interest in moving to organic farming. Processing of the grapes is now a lot less interventionist than it was in Philippe’s early days when he was a devotee of lees stirring of red wines. Now he sees the fermentation/maceration process as more of an infusion, with a little punching down or pumping over depending on the vintage and cuvée. The grapes are now de-stemmed which used not to be the case.
 
Most wines are aged using 50-70% new barrel, rising to 100% for the grands crus for between 15 months (2007) and two years (2005), without racking. There is a light filtration before bottling. The wines are marketed in heavy duty bottles embossed with the Charlopin logo. The new wines from Chablis are in turbo charged clear glass bottles.

Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Wine Director and author of the award-winning Inside Burgundy comprehensive handbook.

Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir is probably the most frustrating, and at times infuriating, wine grape in the world. However when it is successful, it can produce some of the most sublime wines known to man. This thin-skinned grape which grows in small, tight bunches performs well on well-drained, deepish limestone based subsoils as are found on Burgundy's Côte d'Or.

Pinot Noir is more susceptible than other varieties to over cropping - concentration and varietal character disappear rapidly if yields are excessive and yields as little as 25hl/ha are the norm for some climats of the Côte d`Or.

Because of the thinness of the skins, Pinot Noir wines are lighter in colour, body and tannins. However the best wines have grip, complexity and an intensity of fruit seldom found in wine from other grapes. Young Pinot Noir can smell almost sweet, redolent with freshly crushed raspberries, cherries and redcurrants. When mature, the best wines develop a sensuous, silky mouth feel with the fruit flavours deepening and gamey "sous-bois" nuances emerging.

The best examples are still found in Burgundy, although Pinot Noir`s key role in Champagne should not be forgotten. It is grown throughout the world with notable success in the Carneros and Russian River Valley districts of California, and the Martinborough and Central Otago regions of New Zealand.