Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Decanter
A multi-layered complexity of fine blood orange, lemon grapefruit and haunting smoky perfumed notes blended with cedar toasted oak and an underlying mineral chalk finesse. Outstanding with incredible class and elegance.
-
Wine & Spirits
A delicious rarity, this wine grows across a small road to the north of Clos de Vougeot, where the resident monks planted the site to white grapes. The Boisset family, which now owns the parcel and farms it under biodynamics, dates that original planting to 1110. The soil is different here than at the family’s neighboring pinot noir parcel in Clos de Vougeot, the topsoil lighter in color, over pink conglomerate rock from the Oligocene era (see W&S, October 2012 for a story on Côtes de Nuits whites by Jasper Morris, MW). This 2016—mostly chardonnay, with some pinot gris and blanc—has the ripeness and depth of a wine from a great site, concentrated in its savory tension, lasting on floral complexity that hints at botrytis. The stony, mineral character holds for minutes on the breath, tight and pretty awesome.
-
Wine Spectator
Smoke and toast aromas mingle with flavors of lemon, apple, vanilla and mineral in this sleek white. Balanced, offering a lingering mineral element on the long finish. Gains harmony with air, so decant now or cellar short term. Best from 2020 through 2026.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
Containing the largest Grand Cru in all of the Côte d’Or, Vougeot, the village, takes its name from the small stream flowing through it, called Vouge. Over three quarters of the village retains Grand Cru status, and a single vineyard at that: Clos de Vougeot (or simply, Clos Vougeot). Its mass—over 50 ha—retains the single name chiefly for historic reasons.
But today, Clos de Vougeot contains over 80 owners and shows significant soil and slope variations within its boundaries. The top, bordering Musigny and Grands Echezeaux, is calcareous and gravelly on oolitic limestone and exhibits wonderful drainage. The middle sections are limestone, gravel and clay with less of a slope. The lower part has little slant and is mostly made of clay. Historically the diverse parcels were blended but today the abundance of owners means that everyone has his own style. Exploring and understanding them is part of the allure of Clos de Vougeot.
In general a fine Clos de Vougeot when young will be dense and dark but juicy, with a pronounced austerity, and needs a good ten years to bring it to its full potential.