Les Champeaux

The most northerly Premier Cru of Gevrey, the vineyard is both high and east-facing. This lends the bouquet a mouth-watering note of crushed berry and the palate a certain severity, leading to pinpointed fruit and sculpted tannins. One to keep. Drink 2023-2029.

It is fair to say that Ben is very happy with 2017, describing it as the kind of vintage he would sign up for every year. The whites, he says, are beautiful, and not far from 2014 in style, with purity, finesse, great definition and balance. He describes the reds as pretty, appealing and with body to support ageing, while highlighting the importance of lower-yielding old vines for serious ageing. He eloquently explains that there is no “black sheep” in 2017, that no village has underperformed. For reason of space, the limited volumes of Grands Crus have not been included in this brochure. Since the 2014 vintage, all white wines are bottled under screwcap.

Champeaux, the name of this 6.67 hectare vineyard comes from the French for ‘little fields’. It is located at mid slope towards the northern end of the Côte St-Jacques, where the easterly exposition begins to modify a fraction towards the north. The soil is quite jumbled up: a mix of red and brown earth with the mother rock quite close to the surface. In 2012 Olivier Bernstein was able to acquire the small plot where he had previously purchased the grapes.

The vines are 55-years-old. Rich bright purple in colour, the stylish and polished bouquet harnesses a delicious explosion of fruit. The fruit on the palate has a sensual component up front then kicks on beautifully to a fine, long, ripe finish. The wine is defined by tremendous length and class, including a fine acid balance as well as notably dense tannins which will ensure longevity.
Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Wine Director

The wines of Burgundy – perhaps more than any other region – are a product both of place but also of people. With individual vineyard plots often split amongst countless producers, the terroir expressed in a wine can be unusually specific; equally the style of the winemaker can be readily discerned when tasted against his neighbours.
Back in 2007, Jasper Morris MW – Berry Bros. & Rudd’s Burgundy buyer, who lives in the region for most of the year – heard whispers about a new producer, whose wines were said to be universally impressive. Jasper duly sought out Olivier Bernstein and tasted his portfolio: “It was terrifically exciting to come across a brand-new quality producer in the Burgundy market, and to taste wines of such class from his very first vintage,” says Morris.

“Now, five years on, Olivier has matured into a confident player with his Premiers and Grands Crus wines of the Côte de Nuits.” Since Berry Bros. & Rudd first offered Bernstein’s w

This is the most northerly of Gevrey’s Premier Cru vineyards, with an easterly exposure. The wines are always fruity and in lighter years they can be quite stern, but the warmth of 2018 has given a note of cranberry, and the allusion continues on the palate, with sweet red fruit marbled with bright acidity. Drink 2025-2032.