Domaine Bernard Grivelet – Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze ‘Grand Cru’ 1976

Domaine Bernard Grivelet – Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru 1976: A Grand Cru of historic stature

The 1976 Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru from Domaine Bernard Grivelet is a wine of rare historical depth – a testament to the Burgundian winemaking tradition, hailing from one of the oldest and most renowned Grand Cru sites in the Côte de Nuits and bearing the hallmark of an estate whose roots stretch back to the early 20th century. It was produced in a year that went down in Burgundian wine history as the ‘year of the heatwave’, and thus embodies both the challenges and the greatness of an exceptional vintage.

The vineyard: Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze – the cradle of Burgundy

Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze is one of the oldest and most venerable vineyards in Burgundy. The Grand Cru vineyard, covering around 15 hectares, is situated in the commune ofGevrey-Chambertin, at the northern end of the Côte de Nuits, and is planted exclusively with Pinot Noir. Its history dates back to the 7th century, when the vineyard area belonged to the monks of Bèze Abbey – hence the name ‘Clos de Bèze’. St Bénigne Abbey in Dijon documented the vineyards as early as 640 AD, making the Clos de Bèze the first Burgundy cru to be mentioned by name. After the French Revolution, the church was forced to divide the vineyard amongst the farmers; today, 18 owners share the plot, including Pierre Damoy, Armand Rousseau and Drouhin-Laroze. Until the French Revolution , the Clos de Bèze had never beendivided – an exceptional circumstance for Burgundy, which underlines its special status.

The soils of the Clos de Bèze are very similar to those of the neighbouring Chambertin: gravelly, well-drained limestone with a high clay content. This nutrient-poor terroir forces the vines to grow deep into the subsoil and produces small, intensely aromatic berries that yield wines of great concentration and structure. The sunny south-east aspect allows the grapes to ripen fully whilst retaining the acidity typical of the vintage. The wines of Clos-de-Bèze are described as powerful, complex and structured, with aromas of raspberry, redcurrant, cassis, liquorice and spices. Clos de Bèze is often described as the ‘feminine counterpart’ to the more masculine Chambertin – with deep colour, a long finish and great finesse.

The estate: Domaine Bernard Grivelet – a bygone era

Domaine Bernard Grivelet was a traditional Burgundian winery based in Vosne-Romanée, whose roots date back to the early 20th century. The Grivelet family were originally coopers – a craft that has always been closely linked to viticulture in Burgundy – and, with Fernand Grivelet (1885–1958) and his son Bernard Grivelet, two figures in the wine world who left their mark on the estate. The family business, which operated under the names Grivelet Père & Fils and Domaine Grivelet, owned vineyards in some of Burgundy’s most renowned sites – including plots in Chambolle-Musigny (Les Amoureuses, Les Charmes), in Vosne-Romanée (Les Malconsorts), in Bonnes-Mares, in Echézeaux and in Vougeot. The estate’s wines were traded internationally and sold at auctions held by renowned houses such as Christie’s, Sotheby’s and Bonhams – a testament to the domaine’s former significance. Bill Nanson, author of the Burgundy Report, describes Grivelet as “an old family from Chambolle”, who were once based at the address in Nuits.

Wine-making followed the estate’s traditions: the grapes were harvested by hand, rigorously selected and fermented in open vats, followed by ageing in oak barrels. The style of Grivelet wines is described as ‘charnus et foncés’ – full-bodied and dark – and still displayed remarkable vitality even after decades of bottle ageing. Tasting notes for similar Grivelet wines from 1976 describe an “old Burgundy nose of barnyard and a touch of cork”, on the palate “very rich tasting, lovely and silky mouthfeel, medium/long delicious finish” – a testament to the quality that the estate was able to produce even under difficult conditions.

The ‘Cuvée Princess Noura’: A tribute to royal nobility

The name ‘Cuvée Princess Noura’ lends this bottling a special aura. It is a top-tier cuvée from the House of Grivelet, bottled only in selected vintages and in limited quantities. The cuvée range included several of the house’s Grands Crus, amongst them Chambertin, Chambertin Clos de Bèze, Bonnes-Mares and Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses. The bottle bears the designation ‘Longe Prospicio’ on the label – a designation indicating particularly careful selection and long ageing. The bottles were numbered – a sign of special esteem on the part of the estate. At Christie’s , a Salmanazar (9 litres) of the 1976 Cuvée Princess Noura, bearing bottle number 0012, was offered for sale in its original wooden case, with a signed bottle. A Methuselah (6 litres) of the same wine is also documented.

The 1976 vintage: heat, concentration and longevity

The 1976 vintage was a year of extremes in Burgundy. Following a series of difficult vintages – particularly the rainy 1975 – 1976 brought a frost-free winter and a mild spring, followed by an exceptionally hot and dry summer. Wine literature still recalls ‘the year of the heatwave’ and the drought, which hampered photosynthesis and put the vines under stress. The harvest began in mid-September and was early. The result was exceptionally concentrated Pinot Noir wines with a dense structure and remarkable depth. Tasting notes for the 1976 Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze from other producers – such as Armand Rousseau – describe a wine with a ‘menthol city’ character and a concentration remarkable for the vintage, which scored highly with ‘weedy spice, hot rock and wheaty bushel’. The Drouhin Clos de Bèze 1976 displayed a ‘coy, tight and shy’ nose with notes of oatmeal, rose and chocolate, and on the palate was ‘citrusy and dry with nice tannins’. These descriptions demonstrate that, despite the challenges posed by the heat, the 1976 Clos de Bèze produced wines of great structure and longevity.

The wine in the glass: a window into a bygone era

After more than four decades of bottle ageing, this 1976 Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Crupresents itself in a condition reserved for only the very greatest rarities. The colour is likely to be a deep, luminous ruby red with subtle brick-red highlights – the typical patina of a Burgundy that has matured for over forty years. The nose unfolds the classic aromatic spectrum of a great Clos-de-Bèze: notes of sour cherry, raspberry and cassis, underpinned by the tertiary aromas characteristic of mature Burgundies – underbrush, leather, musk and a hint of truffle. On the palate, there is a powerful yet silky tannin structure, balanced by a pleasant sweetness, with an exceptionally long, harmonious finish. The fill levels of the bottles offered at auction ranged from 3 to 4 centimetres below the cork, with slightly soiled labels and signs of ageing on the capsules – typical signs of decades of storage.

For collectors and connoisseurs, the 1976 Grivelet Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cruis a wine of great rarity – a testament to a bygone era of Burgundian viticulture, from one of the oldest Grand Cru vineyards in the Côte de Nuits, vinified in a year that presented winemakers with extraordinary challenges yet still produced wines of remarkable depth and longevity. Anyone who opens such a bottle holds in their hands not only a rare Burgundy, but a piece of Burgundian contemporary history.