Clos de Vougeot

One of the most famous and largest Grands Crus in burgundy the walled Clos de Vougeot was created by Cistercian monks between the 12th and early 14th centuries. The monks cleared, planted and amalgamated vineyard plots as and when they acquired them, eventually completing the final 50 ha walled vineyard by 1336. The Cistercians maintained ownership until the French Revolution, when all clerical estates were dispossessed. Clos de Vougeot was sold on to Julien-Jules Ouvrard in 1818, the year before he bought Romanée-Conti, and remained in single ownership until 1889. Since then ownership has fragmented so that today there are over 80 proprietors. The sheer size of the vineyard area means quality can be variable, particularly considering the bottom part of the vineyard reaches right down to the low-lying route national. However at its best Clos de Vougeot fully deserves its Grand Cru status, a wine different to any of the other Grands Crus, a broad, mouthfilling dense example of red burgundy that almost verges on the heavy but the greatest examples have a defintion,balance and finesse to add to this overwhelming power.