Domaine Philippe Chéron

Philippe Chéron manages two closely linked estates from his base in Nuits-Saint-Georges: Domaine Philippe Chéron and Domaine du Couvent in Gevrey-Chambertin. Together, they cover 10.5 hectares in some of the most famous communes of the Côte de Nuits, assembled from vineyards that have belonged to his family since the late 1930s.

History

Philippe Chéron grew up in a family of winemakers in Burgundy and was educated at the Lycée de l’Oenologie in Beaune. He began his career at the family winery in Gevrey-Chambertin, and in 2006 moved to the position of managing director at Domaine Jean-Claude Belland in Santenay, where he completely overhauled the winemaking process and earned himself a solid reputation.

In 2010, he inherited the vineyards of the family estate, which his grandfather Paul Misset had begun to acquire in the late 1930s, starting with a plot in Clos de Vougeot. His father-in-law, Denis Chéron, later added plots in Chambolle-Musigny and Vosne-Romanée. Philippe launched Domaine Philippe Chéron with the 2011 vintage. Domaine du Couvent, located in a former monastery in Gevrey-Chambertin, became Chéron’s sole property in 2020. His son Paul is now working alongside him in the business.

Vineyards

10.5 hectares of vineyards are located in Gevrey-Chambertin, Chambolle-Musigny, Vougeot, Vosne-Romanée, Nuits-Saint-Georges and Marsannay-la-Côte. Key holdings include a plot in the Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru, a plot in Vosne-Romanée’s Les Barro, situated above Richebourg and surrounded by Cro-Parant, Petit Mont and Brûlé, two exclusive Premier Cru vineyards in Gevrey-Chambertin, Clos de Varois and La Romanée, as well as Chambolle-Musigny’s Clos de l’Orme and Les Quarante-Huit.

The estate’s vineyards were planted in 15 phases between 1929 and 1977, resulting in an average vine age of over 50 years. No chemicals or fertilisers are used.

Grape varieties

100% Pinot Noir across the entire range. Over 80% of the vines are over 50 years old.

Winemaking

The grapes are harvested by hand into small perforated crates and sorted directly in the vineyard, after which they are transported to a vibrating sorting table at the winery. The berries are separated from the stems without crushing and transported via a conveyor belt to preserve their integrity. Fermentation begins with a cold pre-fermentation phase at a temperature of 8 to 10 °C for approximately ten days, using whole berries. Fermentation is initiated naturally using indigenous yeasts, with pumping over and racking preferred to punching down the cap for a gentler extraction.

The wines are aged on the lees for 10 to 14 months in French oak barrels from central France, with the proportion of new wood ranging from 25 to 50 per cent depending on the appellation and vintage. The wines are not fined, but undergo moderate filtration prior to bottling by the estate’s own team.

Wines

The range includes Bourgogne Rouge, Marsannay, Nuits-Saint-Georges, Nuits-Saint-Georges Premier Cru Aux Murgers, Vosne-Romanée Les Barreaux, Chambolle-Musigny Les Quarante Ouvrées, Chambolle-Musigny Clos de l'Orme, Gevrey-Chambertin Les Seuvrées, Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru Champonnet, Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru Clos des Varoilles Monopole, Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru La Romanée Monopole, Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru and Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru.