Clos de Vougeot is one of the grands cru of Burgundy. This circumstance, by itself, should be synonymous with quality, but it is actually misleading due to its fifty hectares that are divided among more than eighty owners, each one with their own way of vinifying and understanding wine. This is too large an area for all its producers to guarantee quality wines. It is not for nothing that it is the largest vineyard in the Côte de Nuits. It is certainly an example of the paradoxes that can be found in Burgundy, where there are more than a thousand climats (wine-growing plots), given the hereditary distribution system.
The vineyard, which is dominated by the typical limestone soils so common in Burgundy and which, in a way, are part of the success of its wines, is spread around the Clos de Vougeot château. Interestingly, this is not a wine producer, but a symbol in the history of Burgundy. The origin of the vineyard dates back to the 12th century, when the monks of the Cistercian abbey began to cultivate the vineyard, enclosing its surface with stone, which gave rise to the famous “clos”. However, it was not until the 16th century that the castle was built. Today, since 1944, the Clos de Vougeot castle belongs to the Sociéte des Amis du Château de Vougeot, who leased it to the Confrérie des Chevaliers de Tastavin, which promotes Burgundy wines all over the world.
Clos de Vougeot is a magical place and a must-see for wine lovers and non-wine lovers alike. The château is majestic, a Renaissance island rising out of a vast sea of vines, its only boundary a stone wall.
I admit that, in general terms, Clos de Vougeot is not among my favourite grands cru, basically because of the impossibility of finding a homogeneous quality, but that does not mean that there are no excellent wines, because pinot noir, in the hands of a good producer, can take us to heaven.