Champeaux is situated in what is still a wild place, with dry stone walls and stone cabottes, at the extreme northern end of Gevrey-Chambertin on a terrace at an altitude of 340 meters (1115 feet). One has the impression of finding oneself in a discrete, protected little field hidden away on the Côte d’Or. The vineyard is on the mid-slope of the hill, towards the northern end of Côte St-Jacques. The soil composition varies greatly heading down the slope, with whitish marl at the top, rock outcrops in the middle and more alluvial soils near the bottom, containing a mix of red and brown earth.

In 2012 Olivier was able to acquire ownership of the parcel which he had been working since 2007. “Champeaux” signifies “small parcels of vines or small pieces of ground.”

“The winter of 2018 was cold, late and long. It started a month late and continued with some snowflakes that fell in early April. Despite the vigorous February cold and the negative temperatures in March, the vines woke up quickly from their winter dormancy. I observed the first signs of budburst on April 12, which was one week later compared to 2017. This trend was reversed with the arrival of a mild spring with summer temperatures. The vegetation grew at a blazing speed; Richard and our team worked tirelessly in the vineyards to de-bud and raise the growing vines. The heat combined with the humidity caused a strong threat of disease, mildew in particular.

The application of treatments was orchestrated with accuracy and allowed us to minimize the fungus. Luckily the North Wind helped us in our fight by drying and sanitizing the foliage. The clusters appeared and at the end of May, the flower buds opened, giving the Côte de Nuits an intoxicating fragrance. The berries grew visibly while a heat wave raged for one month of the grape harvest. Temperatures rose to 29 degrees Celsius, but the vines resisted well by drawing the water stored in the soil during winter.

The berries were a beautiful color and the concentration of sugar in the juice increased rapidly. The 2018 vintage was hot and early; I decided to set the date of the harvest to September 1 to maintain the acidity of the grapes and a nice freshness for the future wine.

The first bunches that arrived in our vat room were those from our plot of Mazis-Chambertin. The fine maturities allowed us to vinify with 80 percent whole grapes for a short vatting time that did not exceed 18 days. All vintages are vintner’s vintages, but I think 2018 was also a winemaker’s vintage. It was necessary to make the right choices to preserve equilibrium.

The result after a small year is quite fascinating: mature, rich and fresh at the same time. The decision to harvest early and the choices in winemaking have borne beautiful fruit. The wines have explosive noses from small, red berries, and an impressive balance in the mouth.” Olivier Bernstein, September 9, 2019.