Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru "Petite Chapelle"

When Albéric Bichot committed the entire estate portfolio to organic certification from the 2018 vintage onward, Petite Chapelle became one of the first expressions to carry that shift — meaning this bottle is, by definition, from the inaugural certified harvest. Petite Chapelle sits on the southern flank of Gevrey-Chambertin's Premier Cru belt, where shallow marl over gravel drains rapidly and forces Pinot Noir roots deep, concentrating mineral tension rather than volume. Fruit is handpicked and subjected to a cold soak of 6–8 days before fermentation in thermoregulated conical oak vats, with total maceration of 18–20 days — long enough to extract structural tannin from the gravel-influenced skins without bruising the site's characteristic iron-edged fruit. Aging follows in French oak (Tronçais and Allier forests, light toast, 20–30% new oak) for 12–16 months, a deliberately restrained regime that amplifies climat character rather than layering wood. What distinguishes Bichot structurally is that this wine is vinified at Domaine du Clos Frantin in Nuits-Saint-Georges — the estate physically closest to the Côte de Nuits fruit — rather than at a centralised Beaune facility, preserving micro-terroir fidelity at négociant scale. The 2018 vintage delivered warm, concentrated growing conditions across the Côte de Nuits; expect density and depth with genuine ageing potential through the late 2020s.