Clos de Vougeot
Grand Cru 2016
Clos de Vougeot is and will always be much more than just a wine. This appellation is a the standard bearer, the emblem of the whole Côte d’Or...
Origin
The Clos de Vougeot in the heart of the Côte de Nuits occupies most of the vineyard area belonging to the commune of Vougeot. Vougeot’s neighbours are Chambolle-Musigny, Flagey-Échezeaux and Vosne-Romanée. On the slopes at the upper end of the Clos, it abuts on the vineyards of Musigny and GrandsÉchezeaux. Founded around 1110 AD by the monks of nearby Cîteaux, who remained its owners until the French Revolution (1789), the Clos de Vougeot is a Burgundian icon. Its 50.59 ha. have never been broken up and it retains its identity intact within the walls which were built to enclose it 5 centuries ago. Its wines are among the finest of the Grands Crus reds.
The château, (which adjoins the cellars and the winery with its giant presses dating back to the 12th and 14th centuries), is built in the Burgundian Renaissance style and is open to visitors. The Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin holds its meetings or “chapters” here and therefore it is no surprise that the finest food and wine in France is found here.
Viticulture
Grape variety: pinot noir
Soils: mostly clay and very stony on the surface.
Orientation: East
Pruning: Guyot system
Yield: 25 hL/ha
Vinification
Harvest date: 27 September 2016.
The grapes were handpicked. They were sorted a first time in the vineyard and again on the sorting table when they arrived at the winery.
At the winery: the grapes were completely destemmed but not crushed (they were left whole) and were gravity-fed into tanks. Total maceration of 19 days including 3 days cold (12 C). Fermentation used indigenous yeasts only (no additives such as enzymes or tannins were used). 5 punchings of the cap.
Ageing
Maturation: aged on the lees for 13 months with no racking using a proportion of 100% new French oak barrels.
Barrels: French oak barrels that had been toasted at low temperatures for a long time to impart a very delicate touch of oak to the wine.
Bottling
Bottling in January 2018, the wine was very gently filtered before being bottled using gravity.
Number of bottles: 1,134.
Vintage
2016 , small is beautiful!
Small volumes, but lovely fruit overall. This is expected to be a great vintage, confirmed by the first tastings in spring. Vintage 2016 offers fine surprises with wines of potentially high quality. White wines have fine fruit aromas, with good body and will be ready to drink while young whereas the red wines are powerful, tender, concentrated and will be ideal for ageing. The harvest was one-third down on average because of the frost that struck the region on 28 April, causing a lot of irreversible damage. This was all the more frustrating as the summer was very hot and sunny, resulting in very dense berries with thick skins, promising concentration and intense wines, but with low yields.
Ageing potential: 10 years and more.
Tasting notes
With a beautiful garnet color, this wine develops a nose of raspberries and blackberries, accompanied by violet and woody notes. On the palate, the wine is rich and well balanced. The attack is on the freshness, then it reveals silky tannins and a long finish.
