"In the top echelon of the world's finest Pinot Noir producers."* 

Along with The Domaine Leroy, Bernard Dugat makes the most vin de garde Pinot Noir in the world. It is truly a mistake to drink his Villages wines, on up through the Crus, before they have been in bottle five years after the vintage (the Bourgogne, maybe three). He and his charming wife, Jocelyne Py, thus Domaine Dugat-Py, work extremely hard in the vines (theirs are some of the most beautifully tended in all of Burgundy), cutting them back in order to lower yields and extract more from the soil. Bernard’s wines are so intense because they are so concentrated from the juice that goes into the wine. That Bernard is a genius in vinifying Pinot Noir doesn’t hurt either.

The Dugats live on the tiny Rue Planteligone, at the top of the village of Gevrey, not far from the church**. Just outside their back door are 50 year old vines that make the heart of the cuvee Coeur du Roi (if you will pardon the pun). Another third of this cuvee is from 90+ year old vines in a parcel called Combe Dessous, lying just below the Premier Cru Combes aux Moines. In 1997 and 1998 there was so little Premier Cru Petite Chapelle that Bernard could not make a barrel, so it too went into 1er Cru (as did the Clos Fonteny). It’s a big wine. So is the Lavaux St. Jacques, but it exists in such miniscule quantities as to be almost cruel. The Charmes vines are well situated across the path from Chambertin, and the charming quality of Charmes balances the super-masculine quality present in all of Bernard’s wines. A beauty. The vines in the Mazi parcel, are over 55 years of age. Mazi makes one of the most full-bodied of all the Grand Crus, and this has that quality, but also a marvelous character of ripe wild blueberries, spice, and forest-floor scents that makes it inimitable. Bernard has recently added a tiny parcel of Chambertin to complete his repertoire. A review of the 1998s can be found in Issue 129 of The Wine Advocate on page 36.

*Quoted from Pierre Rovani, The Wine Advocate, Issue III.

**Their cave is cellar of a monastery dating back to the 11th century (before the crusades).

From Le Classement, 2000 Revue du Vin de France 

"This small artisan domaine has hoisted itself in the course of a few years to the very summit of the Burgundy hierarchy. All those who have had the good fortune to taste the sumptuous 1993's and astonishing 1994's, and the fabulous 1995's and 1996's know that this property has become without a doubt the most fascinating one in its commune. His simple cuvee Gevrey Chambertin Vieilles Vignes Coeur de Roi surpasses in intensity of matter and in the sensuality of its texture most Grands Crus (of other domaines). As to his other wines, one needs to drink them to believe them. Such profundity of color, such majesty of manner are only explained by exceptional grapes produced by the family's fastidious selection of Pinot Noirs that would make technicians who had scorned them blush with shame. The very small volume produced as well as the still extremely reasonable prices, however, prohibits the domaine from taking on new customers. One needs to take one's chance with a hopefully more abundant future vintage."

From Le Classement 2000, Revue du Vin de France:

"We were so dazzled by the last vintages of this domaine that we have accorded the third star more quickly than we are accustomed to do. How can one pass in silence by these wines, amongst the most sublime of our epoch, vinified in this small cellar by a vigneron in a class by himself, who comports himself modestly and is marvelously seconded by his wife. This type of Burgundy we have longed for over the last two exasperating decades of the 70’s and 80’s where for the most part the great vineyards had lost their sense of honor. These dream wines, Bernard Dugat has vinified for us all, in quantities incredibly miniscule but in sufficient amounts to leave their grand mark behind them. Their robe is indescribable; of a blue-black that resembles the great Hermitages; the amplitude of their flesh, their fabulous velvetiness of texture, recall wines from the legendary vintages of 1945, 1947 or 1959 without any of the defects of those vintages. Never in the past thirty years have we found an expression of terroirs of Gevrey so powerful, unless perhaps Chez Leroy which by chance is supplied regularly by Dugat. To arrive at this result, Bernard Dugat puts all of his efforts in the working of his vines, and those who would wish to one day equal him would do well to cast an eye over his vines, especially in the month of August when the grapes profit most from the sun".

From Le Classement, 1999 Revue du Vin de France

"This small artisan domaine has hoisted itself in the course of a few years to the very summit of the Burgundy hierarchy. All those who have had the good fortune to taste the sumptuous 1993’s and astonishing 1994’s, and the fabulous 1995’s and 1996’s know that this property has become without a doubt the most fascinating one in its commune. His simple cuvee Gevrey Chambertin Vieilles Vignes Coeur de Roi surpasses in intensity of matter and in the sensuality of its texture most Grands Crus (of other domaines). As to his other wines, one needs to drink them to believe them. Such profundity of color, such majesty of manner are only explained by exceptional grapes produced by the family’s fastidious selection of Pinot Noirs that would make technicians who had scorned them blush with shame. The very small volume produced as well as the still extremely reasonable prices, however, prohibits the domaine from taking on new customers. One needs to take one’s chance with a hopefully more abundant future vintage."