Philippe Cheron has been making wine in Burgundy his entire life, but his Domaine du Couvent is only a few years old. In a region where many domaines stretch back centuries, it’s unusual to see a “newcomer.” But Cheron is hardly a novice, and after one taste of his wine, his skill is obvious. Burghound calls Couvent “a domaine to watch going forward;” Neal Martin writes “definitely a grower that I will keep an eye on.”
Our first few vintages with Cheron have been impressive indeed. He’s navigated years both scorching hot and rainy/cold – 2020 and 2021 respectively – with consistency and style. He farms an envious series of village and premier cru plots in Nuits, Vosne, Chambolle, and Gevrey. But the wines at the top of his lineup are worthy of their acclaim, and none moreso than his Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru.
Neal Martin calls Cheron’s Clos Vougeot “splendid” and writes that it “whisks you directly to that famed vineyard.” The plot is a nostalgic one for Cheron – his grandfather purchased the vines from Comte Ligier Belair in the 1930s, and he told us fondly of enjoying bottles with his father on Sunday afternoons in his childhood. From a vineyard too large to deliver consistent excellent, Cheron’s is as good an example as we know.
Burghound and Jasper Morris both awarded 92-95 points, with Burghound finding a complex aromatic profile: “Ripe and fresh aromas of red and black cherry, plum and earth display a top note of kirsch” with “outstanding power.” This isn’t exactly a Tuesday wine or a tomorrow wine, but given a bit of patience we expect extraordinary things.
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Couvent Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru 2020
bottle price: $235
