Domaine Bernard Grivelet - Charmes-Chambertin 'Grand Cru' 1967

Domaine Bernard Grivelet – Charmes-Chambertin 'Grand Cru' 1967

1. The Domaine Grivelet & Bernard Grivelet

Domaine Grivelet in Chambolle-Musigny was once one of Burgundy’s most renowned estates. It enjoyed its heyday under the management of Fernand Grivelet, who was not only a winegrower but also a leading négociant-éleveur on the Côte de Nuits. The Grivelet family owned the Château de Chambolle-Musigny and cultivated the commune’s finest vineyards, including the Grand Cru Bonnes-Mares and the Premier Cru vineyards Les Amoureuses, Les Charmes, Beaux-Bruns and Haut-Doix.

Bernard Grivelet continued to run the estate throughout the 1960s and 1970s. However, his name remains inextricably linked to one of Burgundy’s greatest wine scandals to this day: In 1979, he was charged by the French anti-fraud agency. He is alleged to have labelled70,000 bottles of inexpensive table wine with prestigious Burgundy labels – including Chambertin and Chambolle-Musigny – and exported them to the USA.

2. The ‘Charmes-Chambertin’ Grand Cru vineyard

Charmes-Chambertin is one of the nine Grand Cru vineyards of the Gevrey-Chambertin appellation in the Côte de Nuits. The designation was established as an AOC Grand Cruin 1937.

The name ‘Charmes’ derives from the particular softness and elegance of these wines – compared to the more powerful neighbouring vineyards such as Chambertin itself, Charmes-Chambertin often appears more feminine, more approachable and more supple.

Covering around 30 hectares, Charmes-Chambertin is the largest of the nine Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru vineyards. The vines grow on chalky soils facing east to north-east, which lends the wine a fresh, mineral structure.

3. The 1967 vintage in Burgundy

The 1967 vintage was a solid, though not outstanding, year in Burgundy. Today, the wines from this vintage display typical tertiary aromas such as forest floor, leather and dried fruit. The vintage is considered mature and ready to drink, but no longer suitable for long-term ageing.

The current market price for a 1967 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru is estimated at around €181.

4. Auction and market data

A bottle of Domaine Bernard Grivelet – Charmes-Chambertin ‘Grand Cru’ 1967 is very rare on the collectors’ market and is traded accordingly:

The price range is remarkably wide: whilst a single bottle is on offer in specialist shops for €475, the auction estimate is €70–90. This reflects the strong dependence on the condition of the bottle (liquid level, label, capsule, provenance) as well as the uncertainty arising from the fraud scandal.

5. The fraud scandal (1979) – Particular caution advised

From a provenance perspective,Bernard Grivelet’s wines should be treated with the utmost caution. The 1979 scandal is unique in the history of wine:

“Bernard Grivelet affixed prestigious Burgundy labels such as Chambertin and Chambolle-Musigny to bottles of cheap table wine.”

This affected not only bottles exported to the USA, but also wines that later appearedat auctions and in collections.

For collectors, this means:

• Any bottle bearing the Bernard Grivelet label from the 1960s and 1970s must berigorously checked for provenance .

• Bottles without complete documentation of their provenance carry a significant risk of being counterfeit.

• Even if the bottle is genuine, the contents may, in theory, not correspond to the label.

6. Evaluation and Classification

The 1967 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru from Domaine Bernard Grivelet is a wine of great historical significance – though for two very different reasons:

7. Conclusion

The bottle ofDomaine Bernard Grivelet – Charmes-Chambertin ‘Grand Cru’ 1967 is a fascinating yet problematic collector’s item.

For the connoisseur, it offers – provided the provenance is genuine – the chance to experience a matured Grand Cru from the heyday of the Grivelet estate. For the collector, however, it stands as a memorial to the darkest hour in Burgundian wine history.

Recommendation: Before purchasing such a bottle, a thorough verification of its provenance is essential. If there are any doubts about its origin, one should refrain from purchasing it – the risk of acquiring a counterfeit or relabelled bottle is particularly highwith Grivelet wines from this era .