Olivier Bernstein is one of the most discussed and critically successful négociants to have emerged in Burgundy in the past two decades, establishing a reputation through the rigorous selection of village, Premier Cru and Grand Cru fruit from the finest addresses in the Côte de Nuits and vinifying with an approach that prioritises site expression, whole-cluster fermentation and minimal new oak. Bernstein’s wines are produced in very small quantities and have attracted attention from Vinous, Wine Advocate and other approved publications for their quality and their distinctiveness within the broader landscape of négociant Burgundy. The estate’s Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru programme includes some of the most compelling expressions of the village’s finest sites, and Les Champeaux is among the domaine’s most consistently praised wines.

Les Champeaux is a Premier Cru vineyard situated on the northern side of Gevrey-Chambertin, producing Pinot Noir of firm structure and mineral definition from its clay-limestone soils at mid-slope on the hillside above the village. The site’s northerly orientation compared to Les Cazetiers or Clos Saint-Jacques gives it a slightly cooler microclimate that emphasises aromatic precision and mineral tension over the immediately generous fruit character of the more southerly Premier Crus, producing wines of an austere, intellectual quality that rewards patience. The 2020 Burgundy vintage was warm, generous and very early, with the finest Côte de Nuits reds showing a ripe concentration and supple tannin structure that contrasts with the more restrained 2021 and the frost-concentrated 2019.

Bernstein’s wines are distributed through a very limited number of specialist importers and are rarely available in the secondary market in meaningful quantities. The original wooden case format (OWC3) is appropriate for a wine of this profile, reinforcing both the seriousness of the producer’s intentions and the quality of the material within. Collectors who have followed Bernstein’s work from its earliest vintages and those who are encountering the estate for the first time through Les Champeaux will find the 2020 a thoroughly rewarding expression of one of Gevrey’s most distinctive Premier Cru terroirs.

Deep ruby with a focused and complex nose of black cherry, crushed limestone, violet, dried rose, cedar and a mineral austerity from the Les Champeaux clay-limestone terroir. Medium to full-bodied with excellent tannin structure, firm natural acidity and a long, saline, mineral finish of genuine Premier Cru complexity. Best from 2026 through 2042.