2023 Domaine Le Guellec-Ducouet Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Champ | 97 Points Forbes

97 Point Gevrey-Chambertin | Old-Vine Monopole | One of Burgundy's Most Exciting Rising Estates

This is one of the most exciting Burgundy discoveries I've tasted in some time.

Old vines. Tiny 0.8-hectare walled vineyard. Gevrey-Chambertin. A rapidly emerging domaine. And $199.

97 Points – Forbes | “Superlative Value”

94 Points – Greg Sherwood MW, Wine Safari

93 points - Vinous

A Stunning New Name in Burgundy | Old-Vine Gevrey-Chambertin with Serious Pedigree

If this wine had a more famous name on the label, I genuinely believe we'd be talking about a very different price.

And that is exactly what makes the 2023 Domaine Le Guellec-Ducouet Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Champ so exciting.

I Tried This Last Night – And It Is Stunning

This is where the wine gets personal for me.

I tried this last night and thought it was absolutely stunning.

And perhaps even more importantly:

Outrageously cheap for the quality.

I haven't seen many Burgundies of this quality at this sort of price for some time.

There is real Gevrey character.

There's concentration.

There's structure.

There's perfume.

There's beautiful fruit.

There's serious length.

But there's also an elegance and polish that makes it incredibly seductive already.

This is the sort of Burgundy discovery I get genuinely excited about.

Because we're not paying for decades of reputation.

We're getting in early.

97 Points – Forbes

Wine writer Tom Mullen selected the Clos Champ as one of his standout Burgundies after visiting the region and tasting with the domaine.

He scored it:

97 POINTS

and awarded it his highest value designation:

SUPERLATIVE VALUE

Mullen describes a powerful, structured Gevrey with classic Burgundian character, black pepper, spice, suave tannins and an elegant finish, ultimately calling the wine:

“Compelling, classic and a bargain.”

A bargain.

That's not a word you see attached to Burgundy very often anymore.

And after tasting it?

I completely agree.

94 Points – Greg Sherwood MW, Wine Safari

Master of Wine Greg Sherwood is another critic who has been following this domaine closely.

His 2023 barrel review describes a remarkably perfumed wine built around:

Crème de cassis

Blackberry compote

Concentrated black cherry

Saline blackcurrant

Fine oak spice

with beautifully polished tannins and a cool, taut, pinpoint finish.

His conclusion is particularly telling.

Sherwood calls the Clos Champ a wine of:

“Super complexity and class”

and describes it as a:

“go-to” wine for avid collectors in 2023.

Recommended drinking:

2026–2035+.

And Neal Martin Likes It Too

There's another important review worth adding.

Neal Martin of Vinous scored the 2023:

93 POINTS

noting its depth, definition, spice, grip and extract, while particularly praising the freshness and vigour of the finish.

His conclusion:

“Another impressive wine from this lesser-known Gevrey producer.”

And there's the opportunity.

Lesser-known.

For now.

Clos Champ – A Tiny 0.8-Hectare Walled Vineyard

This isn't simply generic village Gevrey assembled from parcels scattered across the appellation.

Clos Champ is special.

The domaine farms approximately:

0.8 hectares

inside this walled vineyard in Gevrey-Chambertin.

Guide Hachette describes Clos Champ as lying mid-slope, while its coverage of the previous vintage identifies the domaine's parcel as 80 ares of roughly 90-year-old vines.

And Forbes gives us even more detail.

The vines supplying the 2023 were planted between:

1933 and 1985.

Think about that.

Some of these vines are now more than:

90 YEARS OLD.

At $199.

That's the killer.

Old-Vine Gevrey

Old vines aren't automatically a guarantee of great wine.

But when you've got the right site and meticulous farming, they can give Pinot Noir extraordinary:

Depth

Concentration

Complexity

Texture

without requiring excessive ripeness.

That's exactly what I see here.

The fruit has genuine concentration.

But it doesn't feel heavy.

There's power.

But there's freshness.

There's tannin.

But it's polished.

That's serious Burgundy.

Tasting Notes

Appearance: Deep, brilliant ruby with excellent colour and concentration for Pinot Noir.

Aroma: Immediately seductive. Cassis, blackberry, black cherry and blackcurrant dominate initially, followed by violet, liquorice, pepper, spice and fine oak. There's a gorgeous saline note running underneath the darker fruit.

Palate: This has proper Gevrey depth. Black cherry, blackberry and cassis fill the middle palate, but vibrant acidity keeps everything beautifully alive.

Texture: Perhaps the most impressive part. The tannins are polished, velvety and beautifully controlled — giving the wine structure without hardness.

Complexity: Spice, liquorice, vanilla and violet build around the black fruit as the wine opens. Guide Hachette also highlights the fleshy palate, freshness and refined tannins of the 2023.

Finish: Long, cool and focused, with black fruit, fine oak spice and mineral freshness persisting beautifully.

This is proper Gevrey-Chambertin.

Minimal Intervention

There's another part of the story I love.

Guide Hachette describes the 2023 as being made with a philosophy of:

Minimal intervention

including fermentation using:

Indigenous yeasts.

The wine then spent:

15 months in barrel

to refine its texture and tannins.

Greg Sherwood's barrel tasting included wine from second-fill François Frères barrels alongside some new Rousseau oak.

These aren't wines being beaten into shape in the cellar.

The vineyard is being allowed to speak.

A Domaine With Family Roots Going Back to 1920

This is a young domaine with much older roots.

Michaël Le Guellec took back control of vineyards that had been in his family's hands since:

1920

but had previously been leased to others.

Forbes reports that the domaine farms without chemical treatments, while Michaël says their objective is to make wines with freshness and fruit that people can enjoy without having to wait forever.

That's an interesting combination:

Old vineyards + a new domaine + modern precision.

And it means we're getting the opportunity to discover the wines before the name becomes widely established.

This Is What I Mean by a Rising Star

Burgundy is extraordinarily expensive.

We all know that.

The established stars have become almost impossible to buy at sensible prices.

So where do you find value?

Before everyone else catches on.

Find the domaines with:

Great vineyards

Old vines

Talented people

Meticulous farming

Serious critical attention

but without decades of price inflation attached to their name.

Le Guellec-Ducouet looks exactly like that kind of producer.

Greg Sherwood has already described the domaine as among Burgundy's brightest new talent, while Forbes has now singled out Clos Champ as one of its standout Burgundy discoveries.

Pierre Millemann – Another Fascinating Connection

There's also an intriguing connection with renowned Burgundy consultant Pierre Millemann.

Greg Sherwood's extensive coverage of the domaine repeatedly discusses Millemann's influence and even describes one of Le Guellec-Ducouet's whites as showing:

“more than a hint of the genius of Pierre Millemann.”

That's a name serious Burgundy followers will recognise.

And it adds another layer to why this domaine is worth watching very closely.

Gevrey-Chambertin at $199

This is the part I keep coming back to.

Your RRP is:

$199.

Is $199 inexpensive for a bottle of wine?

Of course not.

But in the context of serious Burgundy, this is extraordinary value.

You're getting:

100% Pinot Noir

Gevrey-Chambertin

Tiny walled vineyard

Just 0.8 hectares

Vines planted from 1933 to 1985

Minimal-intervention winemaking

Indigenous yeast

15 months barrel maturation

97 Points – Forbes

94 Points – Greg Sherwood MW

93 Points – Neal Martin, Vinous

Forbes – Superlative Value

For $199.

That's why I'm so excited about it.

Drink Now – Or Cellar It

One of the beautiful things about the 2023 is its accessibility.

It's already incredibly seductive.

But don't mistake accessibility for lack of structure.

Greg Sherwood suggests:

2026–2035+

and I think that's a sensible starting point.

I'd happily drink it now with a decent decant.

But I'd be fascinated to see it after:

5–10 years in bottle.

Those black fruits should become increasingly savoury, earthy and complex while the oak integrates further and those gorgeous old-vine tannins soften.

Food Pairings

• Duck breast
• Roast duck
• Beef Wellington
• Venison
• Coq au vin
• Porcini mushrooms
• Truffle risotto
• Roast quail
• Beef bourguignon
• Comté

Guide Hachette specifically suggests venison and coq au vin, which sounds pretty difficult to argue with.

Why We Love It

This is one of those wines where the story just keeps getting better.

Gevrey-Chambertin

Pinot Noir

0.8-hectare walled vineyard

Vines planted between 1933 and 1985

Indigenous yeast

15 months in barrel

97 Points – Forbes

94 Points – Greg Sherwood MW

93 Points – Neal Martin - Vinous

Forbes “Superlative Value”

One of Burgundy's most exciting emerging domaines

And your RRP?

$199.

I tasted this last night and thought it was stunning.

Not “good for the money”.

Stunning. Full stop.

Then you consider the price.

And that's when this becomes a wine I want people to load up on.

I haven't seen many Burgundies offering this combination of vineyard, vine age, critical acclaim, quality and sheer drinking pleasure at under $200 for some time.

Dark. Perfumed. Powerful. Silky. Mineral. Seriously classy.

96–97 Forbes. 93–94 Greg Sherwood MW. Old vines dating to 1933. Tiny walled Gevrey vineyard. $199.

This is exactly the kind of Burgundy you want to discover before everyone else does.

👉 Buy six if you can. Drink one now, follow its evolution over the next decade, and remember the name Domaine Le Guellec-Ducouet — because I don't think these wines are going to stay this cheap forever.