Winemaker Notes
Very beautiful dark ruby red. Deep purple around the rim. Very complex on the nose, with both floral notes (rose petals) and notes of small berries (raspberry, blackcurrant, blackberry), as well as sweet spices (vanilla). Dense texture, complemented by a flavorful and digest fruitiness (berries), and by fleshy, fresh and spicy tannins.
Professional Ratings
-
Decanter
You're eating clay,' says Nadine Gublin about this rich, structured expression of Burgundy's biggest red Grand Cru, made with grapes from a 1.28ha parcel that's 38 years' old. The 60% new wood is quite marked here, but it's balanced by layers of red and black fruit, tobacco and clove spices from 35% whole bunches and savory tannins.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
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.