This five-generation-old Domaine, located in the heartland of the village of Gevrey-Chambertin, is a specialist of this appellation. The focus is clear and claimed; we discuss Gevrey-Chambertin in all its different expressions from well-located village plots, to prominent premier crus and blockbuster grand crus.

It is back in 1953 that Pierre’s Grand-Father, Philippe Duroché, acquired three hectares of vineyard, in premier cru Lavaut-St-Jacques and grand cru Charmes-Chambertin. The Duroché family originated from the neighbourhood village Brochon, where most of their vines were located at the time. The Domaine eastablished in Gevrey-Chambertin moved the facilities a few meters away in the village in 1955 at Place du Monument where they still operate today.

One of the great acquisitions made by Philippe was the grand cru Chambertin Clos de Bèze, bought in 1955, from vines planted in 1920. This jewel of a vine is still the oldest to date at Domaine Duroché.  The next generation, led by Gilles, Pierre’s father, saw a great deal of improvement to the portfolio of appellation. Notably, a plot of premier cru Estournelles-St-Jacques joined the list where a plot of premier cru Bel-Air was phased out and a plot of grand cru Latricières-Chambertin was purchased in 1989.

Pierre joined the Domaine in 2003 and gradually increased his responsibilities by taking over from his father. It’s an important step to learn from the previous generation, in order to assimilate the full complexity of the job. In 2009, the leap of faith happened and Pierre took fully the reins of the estate with great goals in mind. Pierre’s philosophy is rooted into a simple yet crucial notion of balance. In fact, when I first encountered Pierre’s wines in 2015, I discovered a style I admire, since producing balanced Pinot Noir is the pinnacle. When you think about it, it’s always easier to pronounce, emphasize certain traits, at the expense of others, rather than finding a harmony. 

Pierre’s fathers stopped using pesticides and herbicides beginning of 2000 and Pierre is finding an equilibrium by working in “lutte raisonnée”, meaning that no chemicals are used unless there is a strong disease pressure and the harvest is at stake. The vineyards are grown with precision, in order to achieve low yields, but not too low and work towards the ideal picking date, where the balance lies in concentration, maturity and acidity.

During the winemaking, and maturation, it is also a question of expressing the terroirs loudly with very delicate infusion rather than extraction and only 10 to 20% new oak across the whole range.

The Domaine is composed of the following plots of vineyard:

- Bourgogne Chardonnay
Blend of lieu dits “Grands Champs” – Planted 2003-2005

- Bourgogne Pinot Noir
Blend of lieu dits “Roncevie” and “Comble” – Planted 1960-1986

VILLAGE

- Gevrey-Chambertin
Blend of lieu dits “Reniard, Pressonier, Le Fourneau, Les Murots, Aux Etelois, Aux Corvées, Les Champs-Perriers, Les Croisettes et En Champs” – Planted 1934-1980

- Gevrey-Chambertin “En Champs”
Planted 1969-1973 – 0.70ha

- Gevrey-Chambertin “Le Clos”
Planted 1998 – 0.39ha

- Gevrey-Chambertin “Les Jeunes Rois”
Planted 1953 – 0.33ha

- Gevrey-Chambertin “Aux Etelois”
Planted 1922-1956 – 0.34ha

PREMIER CRU

- Gevrey-Chambertin 1er cru “Champeaux”
Planted 1986 – 0.13ha

- Gevrey-Chambertin 1er cru “Estournelles-St-Jacques"
Planted 1981 – 0.12ha

- Gevrey-Chambertin 1er cru “Lavaut-St-Jacques”
Planted 1923-1980 – 1.2ha

- Gevrey-Chambertin 1er cru “Les Cazetiers”

GRAND CRU

- Griotte-Chambertin
Planted 1922-1962 – 0.019ha

- Charmes-Chambertin
Planted 1959-1998 – 0.41ha

- Latricières-Chambertin
Planted 1965 – 0.28ha

- Chambertin Clos de Bèze
Planted 1920 – 0.25ha

Clos Cachet is honoured to import these wines directly from Domaine Duroché and to distribute them in Australia.

* Terroir is the specific combination of location, vineyard, climate and people that create a wine. Accordingly, different terroirs produce different wines.

Gevrey-Chambertin

View the location of Domaine Duroche's vines on the PDF below.