Description
At the top of the Grands Crus at an altitude of 350 meters in Gevrey-Chambertin, about fifteen kilometers south of Dijon and in the middle of the Côte de Nuits. Quite against two prestigious neighbors: the Ruchottes du Dessus which occupy the same location on the hillside; the Chambertin-Clos de Bèze which it overlooks.
The Bel Air climate extended much more widely on the top of the Coast. A large part is still classified but not planted. Woods were indeed created here at the end of the 19th century, in particular to protect the vines from cold winds and frost.
A hundred years ago, we even spoke of Château Bel Air, so much it dominated the Grands Crus. Bel Air indicates a place where you can enjoy cleaner air than elsewhere. We used to say, in Gevrey-Chambertin, that we were going to “take in the fresh air” when we climbed the Côte …
In his work on Chambertin, Jean-François Bazin writes that “Bel Air was quite worthy of a grand cru classification during the 1930s”. For that, it had to be bordering on Chambertin. This is the case here. Bel Air touches the Clos de Bèze and shares an identical terroir, a situation similar to the upper part of Ruchottes-Chambertin.
