Vougeot

In the heart of the Côte de Nuits, between Chambolle-Musigny and Flagey-Echézeaux, Vougeot covers 88 hectares, more than three-quarters of them under vine, and takes its name from the Vouge river, whose source lies north of the vineyards. Most of the vines form the Clos de Vougeot, a red-only Grand Cru of about 50 hectares that borders Musigny and Grands-Échezeaux at its upper edge.

The vineyard was born with the abbey of Cîteaux, mother house of the Cistercians, founded in 1098. From the early twelfth century the monks bought land in Vougeot and in time enclosed the largest part of it with a wall: this is the Clos, which remained theirs until the Revolution. In the château of the Clos, whose Renaissance main building dates from 1551, the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin holds its chapters.

North of the Clos lie about 16 hectares of Village and Premier Cru vines. There are four Premiers Crus: Les Petits Vougeots; Les Crâs, a local name for stony ground; the Clos de la Perrière, planted in the monks' old quarry; and Le Clos Blanc, which almost coincides with the lieu-dit La Vigne Blanche and, according to tradition, has always been planted with Chardonnay for the abbey's altar wine. White, rare in the Côte de Nuits, takes up about a third of this area.

The Village and Premier Cru reds have deep color, polished tannins, and aromas of violet and small berries, which give way to forest floor over the years. The whites, dry yet substantial, have floral notes such as acacia. Below are the bottles of Vougeot available from STELT.