Domaine du Couvent
Appellation: Côte de Nuits
Proprietor: Philippe Chéron
Year Founded: 2020
Size: 10.5 hectares
Farming Practice: Practicing organic
Couvent: Chéron New Epoch
Philippe Chéron, who spent over a decade shaping the future of Misset-Chéron, is now at a pivotal point in his family’s history. Following the 2020 merger with Domaine des Varoilles in Gevrey-Chambertin, a new era is unfolding—one that will be carried forward by his sons, marking the next generation of the Chéron family’s legacy.
Domaine Misset-Chéron, located in Nuits-St.-Georges, was established in the 1930s by Philippe’s grandfather, who acquired plots in Clos de Vougeot. For many years, there was no winemaking; the land was leased to other growers, a practice that continued for much of the century.
In the 1960s, Philippe’s father, Denis Chéron, in partnership with the Naigeon family of Gevrey, established Domaine des Varoilles, focusing on prized monopoles like La Romanée and Clos des Varoilles in Gevrey-Chambertin.
By 1990, the Naigeon family sold their shares in Domaine des Varoilles to Swiss importer Gilbert Hammel. At the same time, Domaine Misset-Chéron expanded, acquiring parcels in Vosne-Romanée, Chambolle-Musigny, and Nuits-St.-Georges.
Philippe, having trained in enology at Lycée Viticole de Beaune, had already begun carving his own path, founding a négociant business and managing Domaine Belland in Santenay. There, he brought a fresh approach to winemaking before it was sold in 2010. In 2011, Philippe took control of his grandfather’s estate, and by 2019, when Hammel retired from Domaine des Varoilles, Philippe assumed full control of both estates. The two had always operated independently, with only occasional exchanges of fruit, but the merger in 2020 marked a significant turning point.
As part of the transition, Philippe leased out the 6-hectare Clos de Varoilles monopole to Domaine Prieuré-Roch. This allowed Philippe to acquire and manage smaller, more focused sites, including the highly regarded Chambolle Les Feusselottes. With the removal of Clos de Varoilles from the estate, Philippe took on a new name: “Domaine du Couvent”, drawn from the historical convent in Gevrey-Chambertin used by Domaine des Varoilles to house its winemaking operations since the 1970s.
No better time was it for a rebrand. Leading up to the merger, Philippe’s son, Paul Chéron (a friend of Clément Boillot-Barthod) was was deep into his studies of agronomy and enology in Beaune, immersing himself in the Chambolle mosaic while working at Domaine Ghislaine Barthod. Now, as the fourth generation of the Chéron family, Paul combines respect for tradition with innovative approaches to viticulture, particularly in response to the challenges of a warming climate and the growing demand for more refined wines. Alongside his father, Paul is ready to continue the family legacy and guide Domaine du Couvent into the future.
Today, the estate spans 10.5 hectares across the communes of Nuits St.-Georges, Vosne-Romanée, Vougeot, Chambolle-Musigny, Gevrey-Chambertin, and Marsannay. It includes prized vineyards, like Vosne-Romanée Les Barreaux, located just above Cros Parantoux and Les Petit Monts (below them, Richebourg); a one-hectare monopole in Gevrey-Chambertin called Clos du Meix des Ouches, with 50-year-old vines below Champonnet; as well as several Premier Cru parcels, the aforementioned La Romanée and Champonnet in Gevrey-Chambertin, Chambolle Feusselottes, as well as Nuits Aux Murgers. The estate also boasts two Grand Crus: two well-positioned hectares in Clos Vougeot and nearly 0.4 hectares in the prestigious Charmes-Chambertin Aux Mazoyères.
The vineyards are farmed according to organic principles, and in the cool, reflective cellar in Nuits St.-Georges, fifteen cuvées age slowly with minimal intervention, producing wines of remarkable depth and intensity. Among them is Les Quarante Ouvrées, a mineral-driven patchwork of Chambolle named after the area a person can farm in one day (1 ouvrée). It showcases vibrant fruit and is known for its approachability. Meanwhile, Gevrey La Romanée, from the south-facing clos deep in the Combe Lavaux, offers a bouquet of poached fruit, spice, and stoniness, followed by a finish of impressive length. Gevrey Champonnet, after 15 months of barrel aging with a touch of new oak, reveals a powerful presence, with its old-vine intensity reflecting the premeaux limestone hillside from which it originates.
At Domaine du Couvent, winemaking is a labor-intensive, meticulous craft—a slow dance with terroir and time at a crossroads in the family’s history.
Wines:
Varietal/Blend: Pinot Noir
Vineyard Area: Les Jumelles comes from two contiguous vineyards in Gevrey-Chambertin called Grands-Champs and Prunier on the eastern side of the village—total surface area is 1 hectare. The sites are identical in soil type and are fast-maturing, yielding rounder flavors.
Soil: Clay-limestone with heavier and richer clay
Elevation: 255 meters
Exposure: East
Vinification: Harvested by hand and destemmed before a brief cold maceration. The components are separately fermented by on native yeasts in temperature-controlled cement tanks.
Maturation: 15 months in French oak barrels, with approx. 15-20% new oak.
Marketing Materials:
Varietal/Blend: Pinot Noir
Vineyard Area: "Les Quarante Ouvrées" is drawn from 12 different plots among 9 climats in Chambolle-Musigny totaling 1.9 hectares. An "ouvrée" is an old Burgundian unit measure of the surface area one person can work in a day (.1 acres). The lieux-dits are Les Condemennes, Clos de L’Orme, and Chardannes (all near the mid-slope abutting the Premier crus); Creux Baissants, Derrière le Four and Les Echesaux, above the Premier crus on marl-rich soils; and Les Herbues, Mal Carrées, and Les Mombies, on Chambolle's flatter, clayey section below the Premier crus. The vines are on average 40 years old.
Soil: Clay-limestone and marl
Elevation: 250-310 meters
Exposure: Varying eastern exposures
Vinification: Harvested by hand and destemmed before a brief cold maceration. The components are separately fermented by "sector" on native yeasts in temperature-controlled cement tanks.
Maturation: 15 months in French oak barrels, with approx. 15-20% new oak. Blending takes place after aging is complete.
Marketing Materials:
Varietal/Blend: Pinot Noir
Vineyard Area: Les Feusselotes extends from the southern entrance of the village of Chambolle Musigny to the 1er cru “Charmes” on one side and "Les Chabiots" on the other. The holding is divided into two nearly equal parts. The first is planted on a moderate slope from north to south; the second, on a gentler slope, from east to west. The total surface area is around 42 ares with an average yield of around 35 hL/ha.
Soil: Relatively shallow limestone and marl mixtures of an alluvial origin.
Elevation: 275 meters
Exposure: North-south, East-west
Vinification: Harvest by hand and destemmed before a brief cold maceration. Fermentation on native yeasts in temperature-controlled cement tanks.
Maturation: 15 months in French oak barrels (15-20% new oak)
Marketing Materials:
Varietal/Blend: Pinot Noir
Vineyard Area: Champonnet is situated at the "mouth" of the Lavaux valley (combe de Lavaux) along the grand cru section of the hillside closest to Ruchottes-Chambertin. Couvent's holding covers 1.1 hectares, making them among the largest proprietors of Le Champonnet. Their first plot (acquired in 2013) was planted in 1988. The top contains Premeaux limestone (hard, pinkish soil) and the bottom consists of more clay-limestone. The second plot (.7 ha), bordering Premier cru Fonteny, on white clay-limestone, was planted and replanted from 1960 to 1990. Vines range from 30 to 60 years old.
Soil: Softer clay-limestone to hard limestone
Elevation: 285-295 meters
Exposure: East
Vinification: Harvested by hand and destemmed before a brief cold maceration. Fermentation on native yeasts in temperature-controlled cement tanks.
Maturation: 15 months in French oak barrels (20-25% new oak)
Marketing Materials:
Varietal/Blend: Pinot Noir
Vineyard Area: As the name states, the estate's 1-hectare monopole of Clos du Meix des Ouches is surrounded by a stone wall. Being just below Champonnet, the soils are deeper and richer in clay while containing a fair amount of gravel that was washed down the valley. The vines are 50 years old.
Soil: Deep clay-limestone with gravel
Elevation: 285 meters
Exposure: East
Vinification: Harvested by hand and destemmed before a brief cold maceration. Fermentation on native yeasts in temperature-controlled cement tanks.
Maturation: 15 months in French oak barrels (20% new oak)
Marketing Materials:
Varietal/Blend: Pinot Noir
Vineyard Area: La Romanée is a monopole of just over one hectare that is walled-in—the "clos" dates back to the 12th century, when the monks of Cluny tended the vines. It's situated on the far west end of Gevrey just below the forest line in the valley of Chaudron. Its white marl soils contain lots of pebbles that store the daytime heat. The vines are 60+ years old.
Soil: White marl over hard limestone
Elevation: 350 meters
Exposure: South
Vinification: Harvest by hand destemmed before a brief cold maceration. Fermentation on native yeasts in temperature-controlled cement tanks.
Maturation: 15 months in French oak barrels (20% new oak)
Marketing Materials:
Varietal/Blend: Pinot Noir
Vineyard Area: Couvent's holding in Les Barreaux consists of a group of parcels covering a total surface area of 71 ares. The site sits at the top of the village overlooking Richebourg and is flanked by the Premier Crus Cros Parantoux, Petits Monts and Brulées. The Cheron's current vineyard is the result of 15 planting campaigns from 1929 to 1977, and therefore features highly diversified rootstock with an average age of over 50 years. Planting density is 12,000 vines per hectare, giving an average yield of 40 hl/ha. One part of the vineyard faces north, the other east, benefiting from exceptional ripening conditions. The thinness of the very calcareous sandy soil, the steep slope and the numerous rocky outcrops make it a perilous hillside tow work. Barreaux is generally among the last plots on the estate. The wine offers a pure style, it's ethereal, possesses a great deal of finesse, and shows significant aging potential
Soil: Very thin, sandy limestone soils
Elevation: 300-330 meters
Exposure: North and east
Vinification: Harvest by hand and destemmed before a brief cold maceration. Fermentation on native yeasts in temperature-controlled cement tanks.
Maturation: 15 months in French oak barrels (15-20% new oak)
Marketing Materials: