Domaine Harmand-Geoffroy
BRAND OWNER
Once again we return to the Gevrey-Chambertin commune with its numerous Grands Crus and serious, multifaceted wines, which are so well suited to long aging in bottles. Our current review about one of the Gevrey’s natives - Domaine Geoffroy was formed at the end of the century before last, and its owners rented grapes to negociants like many in the commune with no winemaking ambitions of their own. The situation changed in the early 1980s, when Gerard Harmand, the father of the current owner, Philippe, took over the management of the domain. "My father first bought three hectares of vineyards from one of the surrounding winemakers, and now we have only nine of them, we don’t need more yet," Philippe Harmand begins his story. "The average age of the vines there is 50 years, and some parcels can be contacted by you and inquire about health — 90-year-old vines grow there… Actually, my father worked as an electrical engineer in a company that serviced Mirage fighters for quite a long time (I hope I didn’t give out a military secret), although he came from a wine-making family. But then he met my mother, and the past became excuse me a mirage to him," Philip’s sense of humor is fine. "So my father came from the south of France, and he had a hard time dealing with his neighbors; everyone knows that the Burgundians do not like strangers.
And then he added his unknown surname to the name of the estate, and now we are Domaine Harmand-Geoffroy, oh-la-la!". The 9 hectares of the estate are located exclusively in the Gevrey-Chambertin commune, the domaine produces Bourgogne Rouge, 4 village cuvees, 4 Premier Cru and Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru. Vineyard care is typical for any conscientious winemaker: soil treatment with a small tractor or hoe, complete prohibition of herbicides, insecticides and chemical fertilizers, removal of excess shoots and green harvesting, if necessary. It’s even inconvenient to mention about manual harvesting. "In fact, my work at the winery is not too different from my father’s," Philippe says again, "the same 100% combing, cold maceration for 3−5 days, 2−3 weeks of fermentation, depending on the vintage and cru, pouring into barrels and aging for 12−16 months, rarely longer. For Mazis-Chambertin we have 90% of new barrels, for other cuvees — 20−40%.
Basically, nothing has changed, except the new equipment. Oh, I forgot, our wines need a long aeration, so have a decanter before serving. Or at least have patience. "Even the farm’s ordinary Bourgogne rouge comes from a single 50 year old site, what to say about the other wines. Communal Gevrey-Chambertin is a series of parcels located directly below the Chambertin’s Grands Crus; the Premier Cru vineyards are all very different, with their own unique character, planted on extremely poor fertile soils, where only old vines survive. "In addition to the Vieilles Vignes cuvee (although, globally, all our wines come from old vines), we have two more Cru Villages: En Jouise and Clos Prieur, in the south of the commune, just under the Grand Cru Mazis-Chambertin. En Jouise are 65-year-old vines, and the wines are a fusion of fruitiness and minerality; Clos Prieur consists of three parcels, one of which is of the Premier Cru, but it is generally tiny and we have never vinified it separately, only in a blend. The difference is in the soils, it is more fertile in the villas parcels, it is more rocky in the premier cru area. La Bossière, the monopoly vineyard of Domaine Harmand-Geoffroy, stands out among the Premiers Crus.
They started to bottle it separately only at the end of the 1980s, until then its berries were blended with the much more famous Les Champeaux and Lavaux St-Jacques.La Bossière is essentially in the woods — it is the northernmost vineyard in Gevrey-Chambertin, in a cool microzone, and the characteristic power is not his forte, according to Philippe Harmand, it is rather closer to chamboles than to typical gevres. As a rule, La Bossière is harvested last because of the high humidity caused by the woodland. Premier Cru La Perrière does not have the same acidity as La Bossière, but it is more voluminous and powerful, and more understandable when young. On the other edge of the commune are Cru Champeaux and Lavaux St-Jacques. In the former, the fertile layer is extremely sparse, Champeaux can be called Mazis-Chambertin' little brother; a lot depends on the location of the vines in Lavaux St-Jacques: it is warmer and the soil is greasier at the foot of the hill, while the higher you climb, the cooler the air and thinner the soil. "We have 6 areas on the Mazis-Chambertin," Philippe Harmand says, "three at the bottom and three up the slope. The specificity of the cru is such that you have to navigate the terroirs well and always remember that Mazis-Bas is actually higher than Mazis-Hauts. Mazis-Chambertin berries are always very small, yields are extremely low, and soils are not just poor, but bankrupt, so to speak. I would call Mazis the most powerful of all the Grand Cru communes. But you need to keep in mind that this power is in a velvet glove."
Basically, nothing has changed, except the new equipment. Oh, I forgot, our wines need a long aeration, so have a decanter before serving. Or at least have patience. "Even the farm’s ordinary Bourgogne rouge comes from a single 50 year old site, what to say about the other wines. Communal Gevrey-Chambertin is a series of parcels located directly below the Chambertin’s Grands Crus; the Premier Cru vineyards are all very different, with their own unique character, planted on extremely poor fertile soils, where only old vines survive. "In addition to the Vieilles Vignes cuvee (although, globally, all our wines come from old vines), we have two more Cru Villages: En Jouise and Clos Prieur, in the south of the commune, just under the Grand Cru Mazis-Chambertin. En Jouise are 65-year-old vines, and the wines are a fusion of fruitiness and minerality; Clos Prieur consists of three parcels, one of which is of the Premier Cru, but it is generally tiny and we have never vinified it separately, only in a blend. The difference is in the soils, it is more fertile in the villas parcels, it is more rocky in the premier cru area. La Bossière, the monopoly vineyard of Domaine Harmand-Geoffroy, stands out among the Premiers Crus.
They started to bottle it separately only at the end of the 1980s, until then its berries were blended with the much more famous Les Champeaux and Lavaux St-Jacques.La Bossière is essentially in the woods — it is the northernmost vineyard in Gevrey-Chambertin, in a cool microzone, and the characteristic power is not his forte, according to Philippe Harmand, it is rather closer to chamboles than to typical gevres. As a rule, La Bossière is harvested last because of the high humidity caused by the woodland. Premier Cru La Perrière does not have the same acidity as La Bossière, but it is more voluminous and powerful, and more understandable when young. On the other edge of the commune are Cru Champeaux and Lavaux St-Jacques. In the former, the fertile layer is extremely sparse, Champeaux can be called Mazis-Chambertin' little brother; a lot depends on the location of the vines in Lavaux St-Jacques: it is warmer and the soil is greasier at the foot of the hill, while the higher you climb, the cooler the air and thinner the soil. "We have 6 areas on the Mazis-Chambertin," Philippe Harmand says, "three at the bottom and three up the slope. The specificity of the cru is such that you have to navigate the terroirs well and always remember that Mazis-Bas is actually higher than Mazis-Hauts. Mazis-Chambertin berries are always very small, yields are extremely low, and soils are not just poor, but bankrupt, so to speak. I would call Mazis the most powerful of all the Grand Cru communes. But you need to keep in mind that this power is in a velvet glove."
