![]() ![]() There at the base of the slope, rock and soil colluvium will have been transported by gravitational erosion, adding generously to the depth the soil. Unlike Ruchottes, the long slopes of Chambertin and Clos de Bèze will reach down to almost to where the slope completely leveled off. Additionally, while the degree of slope may kick up in the upper final meters of the Clos de Bèze and Chambertin, the area under vine upon upper slope (that will produce a lighter wine) is relatively small compared to the entire surface area of those vineyards. Conversely, both Chambertin or Clos de Beze extend almost three times farther down the hill, all the way to the curb of the slope. The wines of Chambertin and Clos de Bèze have this sort of impure limestone as a bedding under three-quarters of its surface area. It is a significant factor in giving the wines of Chambertin and Clos de Bèze a heavier weight and richer character than the wines from Ruchottes.Īnother major factor in this differential in wine weight is that Ruchottes is a much smaller appellation, which confines it solely to the upper slope. Its location makes it subject to all of the factors that challenge upper slope vineyards, details that are examined in Part 3.3. Further, it will reflect not just how fractured the stone has become due to extensional stress, but it will have often been the determining factor of whether the bedding has become friable as well. The more impurities in the limestone, the more nutrients will be available for the vines when the stone weathers chemically. The impurities within the stone, (bonded by the calcite) is what determines how much clay and other materials will be left behind as bedding materials when the stone has weathered. Unlike the other two vineyards, Ruchottes-Chambertin sits over very hard and pure limestone that is composed of almost completely of calcium carbonates and very little in the way of impurities, such as mud or clay. The primary reason for this difference in wine character is that right at the border of Clos de Bèze and Ruchottes, the limestone beneath changes significantly. The wine made from Ruchottes is not as rich or opulent. It tends to be lighter, more fine-boned, and more angular in its structure. These three grand cru vineyards sit in a row, shoulder to shoulder on the same hillside. All have their upper-most vines smack up against the forested hillside, and all have virtually the same exposition. The legendary domaine of Armand Rousseau farms and makes wine from all three of these vineyards yet one, the cru of Ruchottes-Chambertin, does not seem to be cut from the same cloth. photo: googlemaps The short answerĬhambertin, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze, and Ruchottes-Chambertin Clos des Ruchottes to the right, and Ruchottes du bas, on the left. More importantly, some of the lessons here can be used to understand other appellations where less concrete information is known. ![]() If you have read my previous 12 articles in this series on Understanding the Terroir of Burgundy, it is likely you can answer it too. The question I should have asked was this: What causes these neighboring vineyards to produce wines of such different character? Today, twenty years later, I can answer that question. I’ll have to ask next time I’m there.” Years later that realized that I had asked the wrong question. By Dean Alexander While working my first wine shop job twenty years ago, I asked the store manager – who was a Burgundy guy of significant reputation: “Why is Rousseau’s Ruchottes-Chambertin not as good as his Clos de Bèze and Chambertin?” The answer I got was honest: “I don’t know. ![]()
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