Varoilles Gevrey-Chambertin “Clos du Couvent” 19

Winemaker Gilbert Hammel retired after the 2019 vintage and has been replaced by Philippe Cheron, a well-established winemaker in the Côte de Nuits whose family owned the Varoilles vineyards years ago. Cheron has combined his properties under a new name, the Domaine du Couvent.

The Clos du Couvent is a small monopole; it dark, briary fruit nose arrives with just a touch of mint alongside. There is plenty of extraction, good freshness, and the potential for many impressive glasses down the road. Writer Bill Nanson (“The Burgundy Report”) called this wine “silky and concentrated,” and felt that it successfully blends power and elegance.