Chambertin Grand Cru 2018 - Domaine Tortochot

Domaine Tortochot

Family wine estate in Gevrey, since 1865

The Tortochot dynasty took roots in Gevrey-Chambertin, on the Burgundian Côte de Nuits, in 1865. Back then, Paul Tortochot was but a simple winemaker, selling his bottles on the Place des Marronniers, right in the middle of the village. His son Félix inherited the small business when Paul died. He then married Louise Liébaut, who belonged to a well-known family of winemakers from Morey-Saint-Denis. Together, they developed the vineyard, which now had a surface of a dozen hectares (mainly Pinot Noir grapes).

Their son, Gabriel Tortochot, was next in line to manage the estate and its vineyard. He gave his own name to the family business, which can still be seen today on the bottles' labels thanks to the signature "G. Tortochot". Gabriel was a strong advocate of Burgundy wine and he shared his love for the local terroir to his two daughters, Brigitte and Chantal. The second one actually had a successful career in management, for a big American firm, but put it behind her to follow in her dad's footsteps. She started studying oenology and decided to come back to the family estate to become a bonafide winemaker in 1996. Following her arrival, exportations began to soar.

Chantal Michel (born Tortochot) works with Gevrey-Chambertin and Morey-Saint-Denis wine appellations. Not only does she have the utmost respect for ancestral Burgundy traditions, she also manages to stay up to date with modern philosophies. That's why she decided to switch to organic farming in 2003, with an official Ecocert label obtained in 2010. The very first organic cuvée produced by the young woman was the 2013 vintage. Like her father, who used to be president of the "Syndicat Viticole de Gevrey-Chambertin", Chantal is also deeply committed to defending the region's terroir, as she's an active member of the French organization "Femmes et Vins de Bourgogne".

The Tortochot vineyard is planted in a perfect soil made of marls, clay and limestone. Each year, Chantal can produce up to 60,000 bottles of strong and surprisingly balanced wines. 80% of the cuvées made by the estate are village appellations, the remaining ones are a selection of the best premiers crus (Lavaux-Saint-Jacques, Les Champeaux...) and grands crus (Mazis-Chambertin, Clos-de-Vougeot...)

Check out the wines from the Domaine Tortochot.