Terroir Insight: Domaine Cecile Tremblay Chapelle-Chambertin

This article is about one of the overlooked Gevreys Grand Crus and one of the slightly forgotten wines of a prominent “Vosne” estate located in Morey-Saint-Denis. I’m of cause referring to the the sensual and sexy Chapelle-Chambertin from Domaine Cecile Tremblay.

To be honest I find more and more detail and pleasure from the wines of Cecile Tremblay – they do offer a forward drinkability – yet they are somehow real and substantial wines – with intensity and quite some structure.

So while the Echezeaux is the signature wine of the estate – the Chapelle Chambertin is certainly one of the top wines – and with a larger production than the Echezeaux it’s also slightly easier to find.

Lets go to Chapelle-Chambertin …

Chapelle-Chambertin – two in one

Chapelle Chambertin is a rather small vineyard located below Chambertin Clos de Bèze and north of Griottes Chambertin – see map below.

Chapelle is only 5.49 ha – and yet it’s divided in two parts – the original Chapelle-Chambertin 3.70 ha and then Les Gémeaux (1.79 ha) added to the northern end of Chapelle in 1936 – see map below.

Today Chapelle is more or less considered as one vineyard – yet the names are maintained on maps and cadastre.

The Chapelle-Chambertin plot of Domaine Ceclie Tremblay

Cecile Tremblay began her endeavour in 2002/2003 as she took over the family vineyards and started to produce wine.

The vinyards originally come from the Edouard Jayer estate – the uncle of Henri Jayer. Edouard Jayer was a cooper in Nuits-Saint-Georges before WW1 and the great-grandfather of Cecile Tremblay. In 1921, he married Esther Fournier, who came from a vigneron family, and they established their estate based on the vineyards from the Fournier heritage and expanded the portfolio over the years.

In 1950, the vineyards was shared amongst their 5 children. Renée – the youngest daughter – kept her vineyards but they were rented out in metayage. Her only daughter, Marie Annick, and her husband then expanded the estate while still keeping it under metayage until 2002.

After studying, their daughter Cécile decided to take over the family vineyards – and this was the birth of the delightful Domaine Cécile Tremblay in the beginning of 2003.

As mentioned the vineyards were prior to 2003 rented out to other growers in metayage, but Cecile was able to take back 3 ha in the beginning, and will eventually take more back as the metayage agreements expires.

The Chapelle-Chambertin plot was one of the first plots that was taken back – and already in 2003 the first vintage of Chapelle Chambertin was produced by Domaine Cecille Tremblay.

The Cecile Tremblay plot is located in the Les Gémeaux part of Chapelle – see map below.

The plot cadastre no BP-229 (red) is 0,3625 ha and is located north of the Rossignol-Trapet plot in Les Géneaux – note that Rossignol-Trapet also have a plot in En la Chapelle – the southern part of Chapelle-Chambertin..

Domaine Cecile Tremblay, Chapelle-Chambertin – the wine

The Cecile Tremblay Champelle Chambertin is one of the most sensual wines made in Gevrey-Chambertin … in my view.

Regardless of the Morey-Saint-Denis location of the Cecile Tremblay estate, I somehow still consider it a Vosne estate – and the silky, generous and delicate style of the wines does remind me mostly about Vosne – although the generosity is a bit on the Morey side …

I LOVE Gevrey wines with a Vosne influence – as do I love the Chambolle Feusselottes from the Vosne producers like Mugneret-Gibourg, Meo-Chamucet (negoce), Cecile Tremblay and Maxime Cheurlin (negoce).

These wines sometimes have the best of both worlds … and so is the case of the Chapelle-Chambertin from Domaine Cecile Tremblay – a tremendously delicious wine.