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A remarkable Pinot Noir from one of Gevrey-Chambertin’s most intriguing climats
We have already talked about Gevrey-Chambertin.
But Burgundy has a wonderful habit of making even familiar names more complicated — and much more interesting.
Because within the appellation are a handful of Premiers Crus, each with its own personality, history and precise place on the hillside.
Among them, Les Corbeaux is particularly special.
The 2022 vintage we have at The French Paradox comes from a tiny parcel of around 60-year-old Pinot Noir vines, planted immediately beside the Grand Cru Mazis-Chambertin.
And that location tells you quite a lot about the wine.
One step from the Grands Crus
“Les Corbeaux” sits at the northern end of Gevrey-Chambertin, directly alongside Mazis-Chambertin.
In fact, it is the last Premier Cru parcel before the succession of Grands Crus that stretches southwards along the Côte de Nuits.
This is why the domaine describes it as “already a step into the road of Grands Crus.”
It is not a Grand Cru, of course.
But the proximity is impossible to ignore.
The vines face east, receiving the morning sun, while the soils are composed of clay and limestone — classic ingredients for producing Pinot Noir with both structure and finesse.
And with an annual production of only around 700 to 1,100 bottles, this is a remarkably small wine.
And no, the name has nothing to do with crows
There is a lovely little Burgundy mystery hidden in the name.
“Les Corbeaux” sounds as though it should refer to crows — corbeaux in French.
But it doesn’t.
The name comes from the Latin curvus, meaning a curve, referring to the shape of the land.
Over centuries, curvus became corbe, then eventually corbeau in Old French.
So the name is actually describing the topography of the vineyard, not the birds that might be flying overhead.
It’s a perfect example of how the names of Burgundy’s climats often contain centuries of history.
Sixty-year-old Pinot Noir
The vines are around 60 years old, producing naturally concentrated fruit.
The grapes are harvested by hand and carefully sorted before being completely destemmed.
The winemaking begins gently, with a five-day pre-fermentation maceration at around 12°C.
Fermentation then takes place in temperature-controlled vats, with pumping-over and punching down used to extract structure and colour.
After a warm post-fermentation maceration, the wine moves into oak.
Eighteen months in oak
The free-run wine and press wine are aged separately for 18 months in oak barrels, with around 50% new oak.
The objective is not to hide the Pinot Noir behind wood, but to give this powerful Premier Cru the time and structure it needs to develop.
The result is a wine that combines the generosity of Gevrey-Chambertin with the depth expected from a wine sitting so close to the Grands Crus.
Rich, opulent and beautifully generous
The 2022 shows a deep ruby-red colour.
The nose is immediately expressive, combining fresh berry aromas with thyme, soft spices and a subtle roasted cocoa note.
On the palate, the wine is generous from the very beginning.
The attack is broad and opulent, wrapping itself around the palate before gradually revealing its structure.
Yet there is freshness beneath the richness, and the finish is long, mouthwatering and wonderfully inviting.
It is the kind of Burgundy where one glass naturally leads to the thought:
Perhaps we should open another bottle.
A Burgundy for the table
This isn’t a wine that needs a complicated dish to prove its worth.
Its structure and generosity make it a natural partner for prime rib, meat in rich sauce or roast duck.
And if you are fortunate enough to have a good piece of beef and a bottle of Les Corbeaux, you may find that Burgundy’s reputation for making extraordinary food wines suddenly makes perfect sense.
Why Les Corbeaux matters
The beauty of Burgundy is that the hierarchy on the label only tells part of the story.
A Premier Cru is not simply “the level below” a Grand Cru.
The precise location matters.
The soil matters.
The age of the vines matters.
And in Les Corbeaux, the proximity to Mazis-Chambertin gives us a fascinating glimpse into the northern edge of Gevrey-Chambertin’s Grand Cru landscape.
Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru “Les Corbeaux” 2022 — a rich, opulent Pinot Noir, just one step away from the Grands Crus.
Chateau de Laborde – Gevrey Chambertin 1er cru “Les Corbeaux” 2022
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