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Domaine Denis Bachelet, Gevrey-Chambertin 2003
RedFrance2003
By Daniel Min · Tasted 2020-02-10 · Published 2026-09-21 · Updated 2026-09-21
At a glance
No critic scores are listed on Vivino. Reviews of this village-level Gevrey-Chambertin are far scarcer than for the domaine's flagship Charmes-Chambertin grand cru / Vieilles Vignes bottling.
Market note: US$149 per 750ml ex-tax (Wine-Searcher, Sept 2026)
What this wine is
Denis Bachelet made an unusual choice at sixteen. His father had left the family trade for Belgium's chemical industry in the 1960s, and Denis chose to pick it back up. After training in Beaune, he took over the domaine in 1983 at 1.8 hectares — a sliver of grand cru Charmes-Chambertin plus a handful of village and premier cru plots. Over the following three decades, and especially with a 2011 acquisition, the estate more than doubled to 4.3 hectares. His grandmother, who lived to 97, stayed on as an advisor after retiring, and his son Nicolas joined around 2007–2008, bringing in a third generation.
Bachelet's winemaking comes down to 100% destemming (no whole clusters), 3–6 days of cool maceration, fermentation capped at 32–33°C, and a malolactic fermentation deliberately delayed into spring or summer. Oak stays restrained — about a third new for village wines, roughly half for premier and grand cru — meant to soften rough tannins rather than season the wine with oak flavor.
This 2003 vintage is a record of something bigger than the domaine's own philosophy: the extraordinary weather Burgundy went through that year. That August, the Côte d'Or hit 42°C, and a drought running back to June pushed harvest nearly a month earlier than usual, starting August 14. Multiple sources agree on how unprecedented this heatwave — known in the French wine trade as the canicule — really was, but I could not independently confirm the specific claim that it was the earliest harvest since 1893, so I'm not stating that as fact here — only that it was a record-early year by the accounts I could verify. What is consistent across sources: Côte de Nuits Pinot Noir outperformed Côte de Beaune, and Gevrey-Chambertin in particular, with its heavier clay soils, handled the heat especially well.
What the world says
On Vivino, only 9 people have rated this 2003 vintage — too few to register an average (status: BelowThreshold). What's there is a distribution rather than a score, and it leans positive: eight 4-star ratings against a single 1-star. Across all vintages combined (180 ratings), the wine averages 4.2, and this bottling ranks 313th out of 335 wines from the producer on Vivino — low within the domaine's own lineup, though the sample here is small enough that the ranking shouldn't carry much weight.
The flavor keywords lead with red fruit — raspberry, cherry — at 11 mentions, followed by an earthy group of earthy notes, leather and mushroom (8), and oak with chocolate (4). Acidity comes in at a notable 3.8/5 with intensity at 3.3 — many reviewers note that for a vintage known for low acidity and overripeness, this wine still shows real freshness.
"Up there with the great village burgundies, like Coche Meursault and Mugnier Chambolle. Stunning wine and years left." — Vivino review, Nov 2021, 4.0 stars
"Nice smooth great balance in taste and bouquet, mild blackberries with a hint of raspberries, long length, improves with air." — Vivino review, Sept 2020, 4.5 stars
There's no critic score on file — reviews of this village-level cuvée are much scarcer than for the domaine's flagship Charmes-Chambertin grand cru and Vieilles Vignes bottlings.
How I drank it
10 February 2020, 4.0 stars. I noted cherry, red fruit, raspberry, earthy, ripe strawberry, baking spice, minerals, called it savory, and singled out a very deep mineral quality. I closed with "decent Gevrey-Chambertin" — not glowing, but not a knock either, just a plain summary.
The note also says I drank it "alongside the '03 Petit Cheval" and that "the '03 vintage has its own particular character." The Le Petit Cheval on this site is the 2004, so it's not literally the same bottle — what I most likely meant was the 2003 Le Petit Cheval, and since this was a memory-written note, the vintage may simply be a year off. What the phrase itself points to is real, though: both wines shared the ripe fruit and low acidity that heatwave vintage tends to produce.
That same night I also opened Antinori's Cervaro della Sala 2016 and scored it 4.5 — half a point above this Gevrey-Chambertin. A week later, on 17 February 2020, when I opened Rivers-Marie's Summa Vineyard Old Vines Pinot Noir 2009, I poured this '03 Gevrey-Chambertin again alongside it — that night's note reads, "the longer it went, everyone's points kept drifting back to the Gevrey-Chambertin." A wine that scored a 4.0 the first time around ended up winning the room again a week later.
Where this wine shows up
A record heatwave hit 42°C in August after a drought running back to June, pushing the Côte d'Or's harvest nearly a month earlier than usual to a start date of August 14. Côte de Nuits' clay-heavy soils, Gevrey-Chambertin above all, are singled out as handling the heat best — I could not independently confirm the specific claim that it was the earliest harvest since 1893.
Decanter — Vintage Report: Burgundy Vintage 2003 · Wine Spectator — Vintage 2003: Better for Reds Than Whites in Burgundy
Artwork and stills are not reproduced for copyright reasons; scenes are summarised.
Vivino community data
2003 vintage rating distribution (9 ratings, average 0)
| 5★ | 0 (0%) | |
| 4★ | 8 (89%) | |
| 3★ | 0 (0%) | |
| 2★ | 0 (0%) | |
| 1★ | 1 (11%) |
Most-mentioned aromas
| Family | Mentions | Top keywords |
|---|---|---|
| Red fruit | 11 | raspberry 5 · cherry 3 · red fruit 1 · ripe strawberry 1 · strawberry 1 |
| Earth | 8 | earthy 3 · leather 2 · mushroom 2 · exotic spice 1 |
| Oak | 4 | oak 2 · chocolate 1 · espresso 1 |
| Black fruit | 3 | blackberry 2 · black cherry 1 |
| Citrus | 2 | citrus 2 |
| Spice | 2 | pepper 1 · white pepper 1 |
| Dried fruit | 1 | prune 1 |
Structure: Acidity 3.8/5 · Intensity 3.3/5 · Sweetness 2.2/5 · Tannin 2.6/5
Average by vintage (all vintages: 180 ratings, average 4.2)
| Vintage | Average | Ratings |
|---|
My original note (Vivino, 2020-02-10)
“cherry red fruit raspberry earthy ripe strawberry baking spice minerals 쁘띠 슈발블랑 03 때랑 같이 03빈이 주는 특유의 느낌이 있다 savory. 아주깊은 미네랄 성분의 느낌. 갠찮은 지브리 샹베르땅.”
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→Frequently asked questions
What kind of wine is Domaine Denis Bachelet Gevrey-Chambertin 2003?
A village-level, 100% Pinot Noir from Gevrey-Chambertin in Burgundy's Côte de Nuits. It comes from a small domaine that grew from 1.8 to 4.3 hectares since 1983, made with 100% destemmed fruit and cool maceration. 2003 was the year of Burgundy's record heatwave, the canicule.
How much does it cost?
World average price pending (US$149 per 750ml ex-tax (Wine-Searcher, Sept 2026)) — Wine-Searcher access was blocked during this research.
What food pairs well with it?
Vivino users suggest beef, veal, poultry and game such as venison. At 3.8/5 acidity, it holds up well against the richness of red meat.
What made the 2003 vintage unusual?
In August 2003 the Côte d'Or hit a record 42°C amid a drought running back to June, pushing harvest nearly a month earlier than usual to a start date of August 14. Côte de Nuits' clay-heavy soils, especially in Gevrey-Chambertin, handled the heat notably well.
Links & sources
View on Vivino · Prices on Wine-Searcher
- Vivino — wine page and community data
- Inside Burgundy (Jasper Morris) — Domaine Denis Bachelet: Charmes Chambertin Vieilles Vignes
- Fine Wine Experience — Domaine Denis Bachelet
- Bourgogne-info — Interview with Denis Bachelet
- Decanter — Vintage Report: Burgundy Vintage 2003
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Italy★★★★½Similar styleDomaine Charvin, Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2015
France · Rhône★★★½☆Similar styleDomaine Saint-Damien, Gigondas Vieilles Vignes 'La Louisiane' 2014
France · Rhône★★★½☆Same grapeRivers-Marie, Summa Vineyard Old Vines Pinot Noir 2009
United States · Sonoma★★★½☆Same grapeCharles Clément, Brut Rosé (NV)
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