Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru

The Clos de Vougeot covers most of the commune of Vougeot, at the foot of the Côte de Nuits between Chambolle-Musigny and Flagey-Echézeaux; above it, on the slope, lie Musigny and Grands-Échezeaux. With about 50 hectares in a single block it is the largest Grand Cru of the Côte de Nuits, recognized on July 31, 1937, and reserved for reds from Pinot Noir.

Its history is that of the abbey of Cîteaux: shortly after its foundation in 1098, the monks began buying vines at Vougeot and, according to the appellation rules, delimited the clos in 1198. The wall that encloses it and the cuverie at its center are medieval; the latter became a château with the Renaissance residence of 1551 and, since 1944, the seat of the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin. Confiscated during the Revolution and resold several times, it was broken up in 1889: today it counts about eighty owners.

Between 240 and 265 meters the elevation varies little, the soil a great deal: thin and gravelly at the top, over a limestone slab, deep and clayey at the bottom, over marls, with a heavily faulted central band. The wine has deep color, intense aromas of cherry, blackberry, and blackcurrant with violet and forest floor, a broad, fleshy palate, fine tannin, and long persistence; it withstands decades in the cellar. The available bottles, when there are any, appear further down.