Robert Groffier
Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru
Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru, Gevrey-Chambertin
2022
Vintage
Varietal
Pinot Noir
ABV
Where it is, June 2026
At Peak: in the heart of its drinking window (2025-2046).
In 2026, the Robert Groffier Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru 2022 is one year into its peak drinking window, which opened in 2025 and extends through 2046. The wine is young within its peak phase, with 20 years of development ahead, and rewards patience before an ideal primary opening. The 2022 Burgundy Côte de Nuits received a WS 98 Classic rating, with Wine Spectator describing the reds as vibrant, complex, balanced and full of fruit after June rains offset the hot, dry summer. Robert Groffier's Clos de Bèze is a wine of power and persistence by appellation character, and the 2022 vintage's combination of ripeness and the iron-rich Clos de Bèze terroir delivers a wine of enormous potential. In 2026 it shows concentrated dark cherry and cassis with earth and iron on the nose, dense tannins still integrating, and a finish of exceptional length. Optimal drinking is 2030 to 2040, but 2026 is a compelling early look at something of genuine ambition.
The ‘22 Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru.
The 2022 Robert Groffier Chambertin-Clos de Bèze is a wine of power and iron-dark persistence from one of Burgundy's finest recent vintages, just entering its 20-year peak with WS 98 Classic wine quality.
Drinking window
Tasting note
Deep ruby approaching opaque at the center, the 2022 Groffier Chambertin-Clos de Bèze announces both vintage and appellation without hesitation. Dark cherry and cassis arrive first, dense and primary, layered immediately with the earth and iron that are the Clos de Bèze's defining characteristic. The warmth of the 2022 vintage adds generosity of fruit that amplifies the terroir's precision rather than obscuring it. The palate is powerful and persistent, the Clos de Bèze's hallmark of structure and length fully in evidence: concentrated dark fruit, firm but ripe tannins of significant presence in 2026, and a finish extending for a remarkable duration, leaving iron, spice, and dark chocolate long after the wine has left the glass. This is not a wine for casual opening in 2026; it asks for time, proper temperature, and extended decanting to show what it intends to become. Groffier's old-vine Clos de Bèze from a WS 98 vintage is a wine of generational interest, and those who oblige its demand for patience will be rewarded across the next two decades.
The 2022 vintage
The 2022 Burgundy vintage was shaped by a bipolar growing season. After a dry, hot summer that raised concerns about stress and early ripening, significant rainfall at the end of June replenished soil moisture and stabilized the vines through the critical late-season weeks. Wine Spectator awarded 2022 Côte de Nuits reds a WS 98 Classic rating, describing them as vibrant, complex, balanced and full of fruit. For Chambertin-Clos de Bèze, located on the upper slope of Gevrey-Chambertin where cooler temperatures and iron-rich soils moderate ripening, the June rain provided vine stability through the dry summer while the heat delivered ripeness of remarkable depth. The result is a vintage of genuine power and longevity in Gevrey, with the Clos de Bèze's structural iron character amplified rather than diluted by the vintage warmth.
About Robert Groffier
Domaine Robert Groffier is a small family estate in Morey-Saint-Denis renowned above all for its holdings in Chambertin-Clos de Bèze, where vines average more than 50 years of age. Founded by Robert Groffier in the post-war era and now led by his son Serge Groffier, the estate uses long maceration, judicious new oak calibrated to the wine's structure, and minimal processing to preserve each vineyard's character. The Clos de Bèze holding, small and precisely farmed, is the estate's flagship. Many consider Groffier's Clos de Bèze among the most compelling expressions of that appellation outside Rousseau and Drouhin, distinguished by a Morey-trained restraint and depth.
From the cellar: pair with
Braised Beef Short Ribs with Red Wine Reduction
The 2022 Groffier Clos de Bèze's iron-and-dark-cherry density finds its classic match in slow-braised beef, where the wine's concentrated structure and long finish support the depth of a rich red wine reduction.
Rack of Lamb with Herb Crust
The Clos de Bèze's iron minerality and earthy depth harmonize naturally with herb-crusted lamb, the wine's firm 2022 tannins cutting cleanly through the fat and its persistent finish echoing the herbal character of the crust.
Aged Comté or Gruyère
The 2022 Groffier Clos de Bèze's concentrated dark fruit and iron depth find a natural counterpoint in long-aged alpine cheese, the wine's structural tannins providing a focused contrast to the richness and nuttiness of the cheese.
Service & cellaring
- Serving Temp
- 60-63F (16-17C)
- Decanting
- Decant 90 to 120 minutes in 2026. This young, powerful Clos de Bèze from a dense vintage needs extended aeration to open its concentrated nose and soften the firm tannins. Decanting moves the wine from an initial tight, structured state toward its full expression of dark cherry, iron, and spice. Revisit at 90 minutes and again at 120 - the wine changes significantly with air in 2026.
- Cellar Storage
- 55F (13C), 60-70% humidity, bottle on its side.
The drinking window on this bottle is calculated with the Cellared Ageability Index (CAI) v1.0, a 10-factor model. Try the free drinking window calculator on any wine, or read when to drink wine for the practical signals.
More from Gevrey-Chambertin
Frequently Asked
Is the 2022 Robert Groffier Clos de Bèze ready to drink in 2026?
It is approachable with patience and proper preparation - 90 to 120 minutes of decanting - but it is very young in its peak window and significantly better from 2030 onward. Opening in 2026 gives a compelling preview of a wine of genuine ambition, but the optimal window is 2030 to 2040. The peak phase runs through 2046, so there is no urgency to open now.
How does the 2022 Clos de Bèze compare to the 2018 from Olivier Bernstein?
Both are powerful expressions of the Chambertin-Clos de Bèze appellation from strong vintages but with distinct character. The 2022 from Groffier is a WS 98 Classic vintage, more vibrant and fruit-driven, with a longer projected peak (through 2046). Bernstein's 2018 is a WS 93 Outstanding vintage, denser and rounder, with the estate's signature mineral iron character in balance with 2018's warmth. Groffier brings a Morey-trained restraint; Bernstein brings obsessive terroir selection from a micro-négociant perspective.
How long should I decant the 2022 Groffier Clos de Bèze?
Decant 90 to 120 minutes in 2026. This is a young, dense Clos de Bèze from one of Burgundy's finest recent vintages, and it needs extended aeration to open the concentrated nose and soften the firm tannins. Check at 90 minutes and revisit at 120 - the wine changes meaningfully with air in 2026.
What makes Chambertin-Clos de Bèze different from Chambertin?
Chambertin and Chambertin-Clos de Bèze are neighboring grand crus sharing similar limestone and clay soils on the slope above Gevrey-Chambertin, but the Clos de Bèze historically produces wines of slightly greater structure and minerality, with the iron-driven character of its soils more prominent. By appellation law, Clos de Bèze wines may be labeled as Chambertin but Chambertin wines cannot be labeled as Clos de Bèze - a regulatory recognition of Clos de Bèze's prestige.