Clos de Tart Grand Cru

The Clos de Tart is an almost unique case in Burgundy: a vineyard that has remained whole and a monopole since the Middle Ages. The name comes from the abbey of Tart, a Cistercian convent near Dijon and its first known owner, recorded in 1141, which kept it together with its cellar until the eighteenth century. Confiscated during the Revolution and sold at auction, in nearly nine centuries it was never divided and has changed hands only a few times.

The Grand Cru, recognized by the decree of January 4, 1939, covers about 7.5 hectares in the lower half of the slope of Morey-Saint-Denis, between 270 and 300 meters, with the Clos des Lambrays to the north and Bonnes-Mares to the south: an almost perfect rectangle facing the sunrise, entirely enclosed by stone walls. Inside, a rare thing for a Burgundian cru, stands the winery, a medieval building still in use, with a sixteenth-century press. Slope debris covers the limestone with 40–120 centimeters of earth.

In 1855 Jules Lavalle classified it tête de cuvée. The appellation rules describe a densely colored red that combines a powerful tannic structure with a velvety texture, floral, fruity, spicy, and sometimes truffle aromas, and exceptional longevity; for the BIVB it tastes of strawberry and violet, tannic in youth, and softens with the years. When available, the bottles appear further down.