Domaine Robert Chevillon

The stunning collection of premier cru and old-vine vineyards held by the two Chevillon brothers would make any Pinot Noir grower jealous. Their innate ability to carefully tend the vines and master the difficult Burgundian conditions provides ripe, healthy clusters of grapes year after year. Taste through the barrels of Chevillon post-harvest and it doesn't matter what happened the year before, almost as if by miracle, the wines show class and character and each terroir has its distinct idiosyncrasies. It is le vrai Pinot chez Chevillon.

Brothers Bertrand and Denis Chevillon are the fifth generation managers of this property in Nuits- Saint-Georges, which means they work the vines and make the wines. Their father Robert, for whom the domaine is named, is still active as well. Both brothers bring passion, experience, a tireless work ethic, and intensity to their work at the domaine. Tasting through their palate of Nuits- Saint-Georges is a venerable tour of the appellation. Their Passetoutgrain, a blend of Pinot and Gamay, is a worthy introduction and their rare (two barrels made) Nuits-Saint-Georges Blanc made from the “Pinot Gouges” is an exotic treasure that ages just as long as the domaine’s fabled reds. And their Bourgogne Aligoté, Bourgogne Chardonnay and Bourgogne Rouge are grown and vinified with the same care as their premier crus. It shows.

The track record of the Chevillon wines in the cellar is one of the most remarkable aspects of this storied domaine. We regularly have the good fortune to taste back through the past three decades of vintages of all the various premier crus and the wines always more than convincing—they are amongst Burgundy’s very best. In fact, I have often been more disappointed with grand cru bottlings than I am with the top-tier Chevillon premier crus. Indeed, Nuits-Saint-Georges does not officially have any grand cru vineyards, but we are convinced that Cailles, Vaucrains and Les Saint-Georges are firmly grand cru quality. This decision is currently in the hands of the appellation authorities but it is almost better if the status quo doesn’t change–that way we are assured to get grand cru quality at a premier cru price!

Technical Information

Wine	Blend	Vine Age	Soil Type	Vineyard Area*
Bourgogne Aligoté	Aligoté	50 years	Clay, Limestone	.16 ha
Bourgogne Blanc	Chardonnay	15 years	Clay, Limestone	.17 ha
Nuits-Saint-Georges Blanc	100% Pinot Blanc	50 years	Clay, Limestone	.18 ha
Bourgogne Passetoutgrain	1/3 Pinot Noir, 2/3 Gamay	45 years	Clay, Limestone	.65 ha
Bourgogne Rouge	Pinot Noir	20 years	Clay, Limestone	.8 ha
Nuits-Saint-Georges "Vieilles Vignes"	Pinot Noir	50 years	Clay, Limestone	3.3 ha
Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Bousselots	Pinot Noir	46 years	Gravel, Limestone, Clay, Silt	.65 ha
Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Cailles	Pinot Noir	77 years	Clay, Silt, Limestone	1.2 ha
Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Chaignots	Pinot Noir	60 years	Clay, Limestone, Oolite, Silt	1.55 ha
Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Perrières	Pinot Noir	50 years	Limestone, Oolite	.6 ha
Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Pruliers	Pinot Noir	55 years	Limestone on silt, Gravel	.6 ha
Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Roncières	Pinot Noir	52 years	Limestone, Oolite, Gravel	1 ha
Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Saint-Georges	Pinot Noir	75 years	Limestone, Oolite, Clay, Silt	.6 ha
Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Vaucrains	Pinot Noir	77 years	Clay, Limestone	1.6 ha
* "ha" = hectares; one hectare equals roughly two and a half acres

VITICULTURE / VINIFICATION

• Aligoté and Pinot Blanc are co-planted among the Pinot Noir vines

• Soils are regularly plowed

• Vines are only treated when necessary

• Vines naturally achieve low yields

• Grapes fully de-stemmed

• Primary fermentation in stainless steel cuves, and then wines are racked into barrels

• Long, slow fermentations
• All wines age in barrel. The Passetoutgrain, Bourgogne, and Nuits-St-Georges “Vieilles Vignes” in 20% new oak. All others are aged in approximately 30% new oak depending on the vintage
• Passetoutgrain, Bourgogne, and Nuits-St-Georges “Vieilles Vignes” bottled after approximately 16 months of aging; all other reds after about 20 months.

Bourgogne Passetoutgrain:
• The Passetoutgrain grapes are sourced from three lieux-dits near the village of Nuits-Saint-Georges: Champs d’Argent, Croix Blanche, Petit Chaliot

Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Chaignots :

• Les Chaignots originates from old French, meaning “the place where the oaks grow”
• Eastern sun-exposure
• 260-280 meters in altitude, with a grade ranging from 8-20%

Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Bousselots :

• Originally, Les Bousselots was an uneven parcel, a “terrain bosselé”, meaning “bumpy terrain”
• South-eastern sun exposure
• 255-280 meters in altitude, with a grade ranging from 10-15%

Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Roncières :

• Before the land was cultivated with vines, it was full of brambles or ronces.
• East by southeast sun exposure • 250-300 meters in altitude, with a steep grade of 20%

Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Perrières :

• Name originates from one of the original uses of the land, a place where stones could be found, a kind of quarry
• East by southeast sun exposure
• 260-275 meters in altitude, with a grade of 15%

Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Pruliers :

• Name comes from the first plantings on this land before its vines, wild plum trees, pruliers
• Eastern sun exposure
• 250-270 meters in altitude, with a variable grade between 8-12%

Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Cailles :

• Les Cailles is derived from the word cailloux, or pebbles, not the common assumption that it is derived from the modern meaning, “quails”
• Eastern sun exposure
• 250-260 meters in altitude, with a grade between 7-8%

Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Vaucrains :

• Name expresses “infertile land”
• East by northeast sun exposure
• 260-280 meters in altitude, with a grade of 15%

Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Saint-Georges :

• One of the oldest known microclimates, planted as far back as 1000 A.D. Became part of the Confrerie of Saint-Georges in 1470, for which Nuits-Saint-Georges was named at the end of the 19th century
• Eastern sun exposure
• 245-260 meters in altitude, with a grade between 7-8%

Nuits-Saint-Georges Blanc:
• Pinot Blanc is co-planted among the Pinot Noir vines
• Grapes are principally sources from the 1er cru vineyard Les Damodes, Aux Argillas, and Les Chaignots