About wines from Clos de Vougeot, Côte de Nuits

October 4, 2010

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Leaving behind the vineyards of Gevrey-Chambertin and Morey-St-Denis we move on into the centre, geographically if not viticulturally, of the Côte de Nuits. Here we have two equally famous appellations, Chambolle-Musigny and Vougeot. The former is not particularly striking in terms of size compared to the other Côte de Nuits villages; Chambolle-Musigny is small, quite comparable in terms of area of vineyard to Gevrey-Chambertin, a little larger than Morey-St-Denis. Vougeot, however, is considerably smaller than many other communes, covering less than 70 hectares in total. As with any of these communes though it is all too easy, if the concentration lapses for a few moments, to drive past not only grand cru vineyards of considerable significance, but perhaps entire appellations without even noticing them. This may be true of Chambolle and her vineyards, but it is perhaps less true of Vougeot, small though it is. This commune is dominated by its gigantic clos and the historic abbey within, and its situation is such that it is difficult to pass through the appellation without noticing it, indeed without having to drive around it.

The Clos de Vougeot vineyard dominates this commune (at 50.6 hectares it accounts for more than 80% of the vines), and there is just a tiny appendage of premier cru and village climats to the north of this expanse. Running from the commune’s boundary with Chambolle-Musigny at the top, with the great Musigny grand cru on the other side of the wall, the vines run all the way down the slope to the RN74. As can be seen in the other commune profiles, the normal progression is to move from grand to premier cru, and then to village vineyards as you near the road. Even just at first glance this site would appear to be too loosely drawn, following the wall of the clos rather than any more exacting logic. For those that might think this a point of pedantry, there are a number of other communes that set an appropriate precedent here, where a classification or appellation might stop just a few rows short of a physical boundary such as a wall, path or road. Indeed, this is the opinion of many Burgundy critics and commentators, who point out that if appellations are supposed to reflect origin and terroir, why does this particular grand cru incorporate six different soil types? Near the top the soils, slope and drainage may well be favourable, but nearer the bottom the soils are heavier, the drainage less adequate, and some would argue the land would be better planted with beet than the vine. Writing in the aforementioned tome Burgundy, Anthony Hanson recalls the time he found one grower cultivating a fine crop of asparagus between his vines. The fact that Clos de Vougeot was the source of the first ever and also the cheapest ever bottle of grand cru Burgundy I have purchased – a bottle that then went on to disappoint – would seem in keeping with these failings.

In my opinion the Clos de Vougeot needs a detailed examination and reclassification, with areas of the vineyard being downgraded to premier cru and village status as required. There should be no inherent problem with this as a concept, as again there is already a precedent in other individual vineyards, such as Corton’s Clos des Marechaudes, which is divided into one-third grand cru and two-thirds premier cru, and any number of other sites which are part premier cru and part communal appellation. But the Clos de Vougeot plays a vital role in Burgundy, and too many interested parties have something to lose from the process; the reclassification will, I suspect, never happen. And so the responsibility falls at the feet of the consumer; choose very carefully when buying here.

As for the premier cru and village sites these can be dealt with quickly. The former total only four, on the northern border of the clos, and as with Morey (but not Chambolle, as described above) these – and the communal vineyards – may yield red or white wines. With a less auspicious grand cru to its name, it is perhaps not surprising that these other Vougeot vineyards are also not so interesting. It is perhaps best to draw this review to a close with our minds still focused on Burgundy’s most famous but not necessarily most worthwhile clos.

Source: http://www.thewinedoctor.com/regionalguides/burgundypart09.shtml

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