Napoleon’s Chambertin

From the Consulate to the Empire, including on the battlefields themselves, Napoleon drank only one wine: Chambertin.

A wine described as “an iron fist in a iron glove: dark, concentrated, powerful, built on notes of violet and liquorice, sometimes black fruits from the northern terroirs, and on rare occasions an exquisitely pleasant peony.”

Chambertin Everywhere

“The Emperor drank only Chambertin, and rarely undiluted.”

At lunch and dinner, alone or surrounded by his court, at the Tuileries, Fontainebleau or Saint-Cloud, and even while travelling or campaigning, Chambertin was always present. A carriage served as a mobile cellar, “containing Chambertin for the Emperor and fine wines for the officers.”

Whether First Consul or Emperor, Napoleon consistently consumed around one and a half bottles of his beloved Burgundy a day.

A Disciplined Drinker

Napoleon was a man of habit. His daily life followed a strict routine: the same meals — chicken, lamb chops — the same clothes, the same places, an aversion to change… and the same wine every day.

That wine was Chambertin, which he habitually diluted with iced water.

This practice is confirmed by Mademoiselle Avrillion (1774–1853), Joséphine’s first lady’s maid. The ideal mixture, according to her, was equal parts wine and water. At a rate of a half-litre bottle for lunch and dinner, supplies had to be prepared in every place frequented by Bonaparte.

This habit dates to his years as a general, when crates of Chambertin had to be transported as far as Egypt.

Chambertin on Campaign

While the Egyptian campaign proved victorious for the future First Consul, it was disastrous for his bottles. At the time, sulphur was not yet commonly used in winemaking, and temperature variations often turned wine into vinegar. Bourrienne recounts shipments of Chambertin carried through the desert. “He had taken large quantities with him, but much of it spoiled. When he tried to give this vinegar to his soldiers instead of their pay, it did not go over well.”

Under normal conditions, however, Chambertin was already being aged successfully thanks to opaque glass bottles sealed with cork, which preserved the wine more reliably. Napoleon — both as Bonaparte and later as Napoleon I, whose habits remained remarkably consistent — was usually served Chambertin aged five or six years.

The wine was supplied by the merchant house Soupé et Pierrugues, located at 338 rue Saint-Honoré in Paris.

Imperial Logistics and Table Service

These merchants were tasked with supplying all imperial residences. On the battlefield, “their sons took turns following the Emperor,” adopting the Russian style of service rather than the traditional French one. Attention to the bottles had become far more refined than in the previous century.

The wine was bottled in glass manufactured in Sèvres and marked with a crowned “N”. In imperial palaces, table service required stemmed crystal glassware and decanted wine. On campaign, however, “war is war”: glasses were thick Montcenis crystal tumblers, without stems.

Sainte Helena

The British encountered similar difficulties when attempting to supply Napoleon during his exile on Saint Helena. They never dared serve him his favourite wine, which arrived vinegarised on the island, for fear he might believe it poisoned.

Instead, wine was shipped from the Cape: the famed Grand Constance from the Constantia vineyard, still known today as “Napoleon’s wine.” Count Las Cases recounts an anecdote in which Napoleon, feeling unwell, blamed his condition on “bad wine that had just arrived.”

From Lieux-dits to Climats

The Napoleonic era also marked a turning point in Burgundy’s viticultural history. Vineyard ownership — particularly of enclosed vineyards, or clos — shifted from medieval ecclesiastical communities to new actors in the wine world, beginning in the late 17th century and accelerating through the 18th.

At the same time, a new vocabulary emerged among merchants and notable landowners. Wine became distinguished from “great wine”, intrinsically linked to the natural qualities of a specific place.

Climats and the Rise of Chambertin

These key sites became known as climats — precisely defined parcels whose terroirs form the soul of Burgundy. The first wines identified by climat, Chambertin and Clos de Bèze, appeared on the Dijon market as early as 1666.

During the reign of Napoleon I, Chambertin ranked first among Burgundian crus served in Parisian restaurants.

To drink Chambertin today is, in many ways, still to share the wine of an Emperor.