Domaine Claude Dugat Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaux St Jacques, 2017

Lavaux St-Jacques 1er Cru... a gentle southern-facing slope consisting of about 9.5 ha of vines that borders the south-west wall of the infamous Le Clos Saint-Jacques.

STORY…

A long celebrated and beloved family in Gevrey-Chambertin, with roots dating back to the 19th century in Gevrey. The families wine journey begins in 1955 when Maurice Dugat, Claude’s father, purchased the historic Grange des Dimes and converted the stone barn into a winery facility. Now named the Cellier des Dimes, this historic structure dates back to 1219 when locals would bring their tithe (10% of production) of grapes and/or cereals for the benefit of the church.

Claude, along with his wife Marie-Thérèse, are truly who brought the estate into the limelight. Claude took control of the family estate in 1991 and since then as continued to wow and impress collectors and enthusiasts the world over with his impeccable touch and expertise. Claude was joined by his son, Bertrand, in the early 2000’s and the two spent nearly a decade working together before Claude officially passed the reins off to Bertrand. Today the estate is entirely in the hands of Bertrand, who’s time is spent mostly in the cellar, and his two sisters, Laetitia & Jeanne. Laetitia handles the majority of the vineyard work and decisions.

FARMING & PHILOSOPHY…

Farming practices at the domaine are strictly sustainable and done without the use of any fertilisers or herbicides. Since 2013 they have been farming with an emphasis on organic procedures as well as incorporating some biodynamic practices. At the heart of all their vineyard work is the idea of having a light touch in the vineyards in order to bring in the highest quality fruit. Picking decisions are based on sample tastes of fruit, as opposed to lab analysis, which guarantees that the fruit always retains a level of freshness and is never picked on the late side of ripening.

Cellar work is fairly consistent across all the estate cuvée’s and fruit sources. All of the fruit is 100% destemmed and fermentations take place in concrete tanks with gentle punch downs twice a day, which they prefer over pump overs to limit the amount of oxygen ingress. The juice is left in tank for about 2 weeks before being racked to barrel for malolactic and aging; the juice is left to settle for 2 days prior to being racked to barrel. A fair amount of new oak is used in the wines, their Bourgogne rouge being the only cuvée that does not see any new oak. All of the barrels are supplied by the Francois Frères cooperage, and although a lot of new oak is used there is rarely any strong new oak characteristics found on the palate or nose of the wines.

VINEYARDS…

The family farms around 6 ha of vines across Gevrey, 3 of which they own outright and the remaining vineyards they rent but have full decision making control over. They are fortunate to have some of the region’s oldest vines under their controll which is pinnacle to the house style. Claude prefers lower yields and smaller berries, wanting to have the same number of bunches as his neighbors but with berries half the size of his neighbors. This is a defining factor in the concentration and power behind the Dugat wines.