What's Pressoir Drinking?

July 28, 2020
By Justine Puaud

Domaine Philippe Charlopin, Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru 2004

Domaine Philippe Charlopin is a well-known domaine in Gevrey-Chambertin. 

Started with only 1.5 hectares, Philippe Charlopin was one of Henri Jayer’s protégées. The honesty and the outspokenness of Henry Jayer helped Philippe to better understand the style he wanted in his wines.
A little anecdote: the first time Henri visited Philippe at the domaine he was pretty tough. He took a sip and said with his really strong Burgundian accent “my old friend, this wine is not great. It is way too serious and has too much tannin. What did you do?” Nicely, Philippe explained to Henri that he believed in traditional crushing and fermenting whole clusters. That was a shock for Henri. He was not a huge fan of the whole cluster process. After that visit, they spent quite some time together talking and tasting. Philippe listened to Henri and quickly decided to de-stem the grapes.

In my opinion, Phillipe and his son Yann are making fantastic wines but there is always a long discussion about their style. Known for being pretty harsh, serious and tannic (like Henri Jayer, they love to use new oak barrels), the wines need time and with age they develop perfectly.

This 2004 Grand Cru Charmes-Chambertin was a GRAND VIN.  Strength, opulence and elegance are the 3 key words to describe the wine. I found the aromas I love in old wines. It is like you are walking in a forest right after the rain. It smells of mushroom, sous-bois with some subtle notes of rose and violet. 

We paired the Charmes-Chambertin with a Simmental T-Bone steak. It is a delicious and matured beef from the valley of Simme in Switzerland. A perfect Sunday lunch!