I have several bottles of Denis Chevillon NSG Chaignots 1988. Cannot much information about the Domaine. I know Denis is part of the fabric at Robert Chevillon. Any insights?
Mark,
When I first purchased “Chevillon” wines, with the 1983 Nuits-Les St.Georges, I inadvertently bought Dom.Georges. So, thereafter, I became less clueless about first names. (Zachy’s had once sent me the “wrong” Rion wines…and I made sure to visit the “right” one in 1988,
When I first visited Dom.Robert Chevillon , in 1992, Robert and his sons and wife were there to “greet” us. (Apparently, they did not answer mail for appointments, so had few. Robert said he was just “a vigneron”…with plenty to do beside write back to people. One son was working…the other son was sitting against a wall on the ground, in shorts. I told Robert about the “Georges” wine…it was his uncle’s. Then I asked who “Denis Chevillon” was (I had tried some at one point)…the guy on the floor raised his hand and said “c’est moi”. I thought he was kidding.He wasn’t.
Apparently, Denis had aspirations of building a domaine and owned a few vines. My understanding is that he soon figured out he’d do better under the “Robert Chevillon” flag, and he stopped , maybe by 1990. He made a good move, IMO. His brother, Bertrand, is more charming, outgoing, etc. like Robert and Denis was more of a farmer. They have continued this great estate, complementing each other.
On a related subject, in 2001 my friends and I were having lunch in the Hotel de la Tour in Nuits. Robert, his wife and another couple were a couple of tables away. We were drinking his passestousgrains with our boeuf bourgigone. We poured an glass and sent it over, “with our compliments” …to have him guess what it was. He didn’t. When we told him, he said, no wonder, my other wines are all better.
That day we went to visit the domaine. Assuming that , like most guys in Burgundy, he revered his father, I told him the story. He said his father had retired the fall before. I asked him and Denis how they felt about their father’s leaving…Bertrand, a bit of a wiseguy, said, “he had his turn; now it’s ours. To each a turn.” He was serious, though I laughed. Not very sentimental, especially since Robert put the name on the map. I don’t think the whole family took/takes itself too seriously…or their occupation.
Nice story, Stu.
Thanks
Thanks Stuart. Looks like I need to try one of the wines, but sounds as if I should not have high expectations.
Actually, Mark, my guess it is a wine made by the three of them (Robert, Bertrand, Denis)…and just labeled with Denis’ name…for some reason that they know best. I doubt they bothered to treat it differently from all the others. And, I wonder whether they sold any “Chaignots” 1988 under the “Robert” label…or labeled all under “Denis”.
And, according to cellar tracker, the label continued/continues…for the Chaignots.
My understanding is that the “Georges” wines later became the “Georges et Michel” wines (with Georges’ son, Michel), and then later became the “Chevillon-Chezeaux” wines (with Michel’s daughter, Claire, and her husband, Philippe). Is that correct?
Sorry, Michael, I have no info on the later history of the “Georges” estate.