Alex Gambal, Beaune
Background
Alex Gambal was born in Virginia, America, and driven by his passion for Burgundy he attended the viticultural school in Beaune. He subsequently created his own negoçiant house in 1997. Alex negotiates contracts for grapes which are then transported to his fabulous winery/cellar in the heart of Beaune (which was fully restored, re-designed and re-equipped by Alex, opening in 2005), for vinification. Here he produces wine from all corners of the Côte d’Or,wines which clearly speak of their roots. He is currently joined in the cellar by Geraldine Godot.
In January 2011 Alex became the first non-Frenchman to own some Burgundian grand cru when he purchased some Batard Montrachet.
Size:
A total of 3 hectares of vineyards in Chassagne, Puligny and Volnay,
| Soil type: | Clay and limestone. |
| Annual production: | 60,000 bottles. |
Viticultural and vinification methods
Alex is a strong believer that good wine comes from good grapes, so he places great focus and importance on the vineyards, so as to ensure that the grapes are of maximum ripeness before picking. Harvest is always by hand, and winemaking is traditional, using indigenous yeast.
The red grapes are always de-stemmed.
Both white and red wines are barrel fermented and then matured on their lees for 10-16 months in barrel with just one racking before bottling. The whites undergo light fining and no filtering, while the reds are neither fined nor filtered. Bottling is done by gravity, according to the phases of the moon and the planets (i.e.biodynamic approach).
Wines
Whites
Bourgogne Chardonnay
Bourgogne Chardonnay Cuvée Prestige
Chassagne-Montrachet
Puligny-Montrachet
Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos St. Jean
Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru la Maltroie
Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
Reds
Bourgogne Pinot Noir Cuvée les Deux Papis
Chambolle-Musigny
Vosne-Romanée Vieilles Vignes
Volnay 1er Cru Santenots Vieilles Vignes
Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru les Charmes
Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
