Gibryotte (Claude Dugat)
Summary
Domaine Gibryotte is a small-scale, family-run secondary label from the Dugat family, producing exclusively Pinot Noir from younger vine parcels across Gevrey-Chambertin's limestone-clay soils in Burgundy's Côte de Nuits. The domaine follows traditional Burgundian methods with hand-harvesting, careful sorting, and aging in French oak barrels, maintaining the family's hands-on approach while offering a more accessible expression of their terroir-focused winemaking philosophy.
Heritage & Leadership
Giboulot represents a secondary label from the respected Burgundian producer Claude Dugat, based in Gevrey-Chambertin. The Dugat family has deep roots in the Burgundy region, with Claude Dugat establishing his eponymous domaine in 1977 when he began bottling wines under his own name. The Giboulot label emerged as a separate line within the family portfolio, allowing for a distinct expression of their terroirs.
Today, the domaine continues under family stewardship, with Claude's children—Bertrand, Laetitia, and Jeanne—actively involved in operations. This generational transition has maintained continuity while gradually introducing refinements to the winemaking approach. The family maintains a deliberately small production focus, prioritizing quality and precision over volume across both their primary domaine wines and the Giboulot offerings.
Vineyards & Wines
The Giboulot wines are sourced from family-owned parcels in Gevrey-Chambertin, the northernmost major commune of the Côte de Nuits. The domaine's holdings include plots of village-level vineyards in Gevrey-Chambertin, with the Giboulot label typically representing wines from younger vines or specific parcels selected for this purpose.
The vineyards benefit from the classic Gevrey-Chambertin terroir, characterized by limestone-clay soils with varying proportions of stones and gravel that provide excellent drainage. These conditions are particularly favorable for Pinot Noir, which constitutes 100% of the Giboulot red wine production. The continental climate of the region, with its cold winters and warm summers, contributes to the structured character of the wines.
The Giboulot portfolio includes village-level Gevrey-Chambertin, offering an accessible entry point to the family's winemaking style while maintaining the distinctive character of this appellation.
Philosophy & Practice
The winemaking approach for Giboulot follows the traditional methods employed at Domaine Claude Dugat, with adjustments appropriate to the specific fruit sources. The family adheres to meticulous vineyard management practices, focusing on achieving optimal ripeness through careful canopy management and yield control.
In the cellar, the process begins with careful sorting of hand-harvested grapes, followed by partial or complete destemming depending on the vintage conditions. Fermentation occurs in traditional wooden vats, with gentle extraction methods to preserve fruit purity and terroir expression. The wines undergo aging in French oak barrels, though typically with a lower percentage of new oak than the domaine's premium cuvées.
This approach results in wines that display the characteristic structure and depth of Gevrey-Chambertin while remaining approachable earlier than the domaine's top bottlings. The family maintains a consistent focus on expressing site-specific character through minimal intervention, allowing the natural qualities of their vineyard parcels to define the wines.