2023 Domaine Prieure Roch Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru Reserve 750ml

Overview

An extraordinary and highly unusual 2023 release from Domaine Prieuré Roch, produced from fruit grown in Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru but released as Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru “Réserve”. The decision followed the exceptionally abundant 2023 harvest, when production exceeded the yield limits permitted for the original appellation. Rather than alter the wine to retain its Grand Cru status, the domaine chose to declassify the release.

The result is a rare opportunity to experience fruit from one of Burgundy’s greatest Grand Cru vineyards under a unique Prieuré Roch label, made with the domaine’s uncompromising whole-cluster, minimal-intervention philosophy.

2023 Vintage

The 2023 season was unusually generous. A mild spring avoided serious frost and flowering produced an abundant fruit set, to the extent that the domaine undertook green harvesting in July. Ripening initially appeared slow, but accelerated dramatically at the beginning of September, with harvest commencing on 9 September.

With vineyards reaching maturity almost simultaneously and rain arriving during harvest, the domaine assembled a team of up to 180 pickers and completed approximately 22 hectares in only eight days. Rigorous sorting was required to remove sunburned and compromised berries, particularly important for the estate’s low-sulphur winemaking.

Vineyard & Release

The fruit for this wine comes from Chambertin-Clos de Bèze, one of the most celebrated Grand Cru vineyards of Gevrey-Chambertin. In 2023, the abundance of the crop exceeded the production limits permitted by the appellation.

Domaine Prieuré Roch chose not to manipulate the wine simply to preserve its original classification. Instead, it declared the actual production and released the wine as Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru “Réserve” 2023. This makes the wine an exceptionally rare declassified expression of Chambertin-Clos de Bèze.

Winemaking

Domaine Prieuré Roch ferments its Pinot Noir with whole clusters and naturally occurring yeasts. Extraction is deliberately gentle, with pigeage carried out by foot and remontage performed manually or by gravity.

For the 2023 vintage, fermentations progressed unusually quickly, with maceration periods ranging from approximately 10 to 18 days. The domaine follows the rhythm of each cuvée rather than imposing a fixed protocol. The wines were then expected to mature for approximately 15 to 18 months, depending on the parcel.

Producer

Domaine Prieuré Roch was founded in 1988 by Henri-Frédéric Roch, a member of the Leroy family and former co-owner and co-director of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. Today the domaine farms holdings across the Côte d’Or with an uncompromising focus on low yields, organic vineyard practices, whole-cluster fermentation, indigenous yeasts and minimal sulphur use.

The domaine’s philosophy places the identity and integrity of the wine ahead of the classification printed on the label. The 2023 Réserve is a particularly striking example of that approach.

Specifications

• Vintage: 2023
• Producer: Domaine Prieuré Roch
• Country: France
• Region: Burgundy
• Subregion: Côte de Nuits
• Appellation on Release: Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru
• Cuvée: Réserve
• Fruit Origin: Chambertin-Clos de Bèze
• Grape: Pinot Noir
• Viticulture: Organic farming practices
• Fermentation: Whole-cluster fermentation with naturally occurring yeasts
• Maceration: Approximately 10–18 days across the 2023 vintage
• Maturation: Approximately 15–18 months depending on parcel
• Production: Declassified from its original Grand Cru origin following the exceptionally abundant 2023 harvest