Summer Pavilion, Ritz Carlton, Singapore
Tasted Monday, February 12, 2018 by Paul S with 215 views
Clos de Vougeot, also known as Clos Vougeot, is one of the most recognisable vineyards in Burgundy. Named for the River Vouge, the Clos de Vougeot AOC is the largest single vineyard in Côte de Nuits entitled to the grand cru designation (although still smaller than Corton in the Côte).
The name, Clos Vougeot, has been famous for centuries. First planted by Cistercian monks of Cîteaux Abbey, the land making up the vineyard was purchased by, or donated to them, between the 12th to 14th centuries. The vineyard was complete, and a wall had been built around it, by the year 1336, and it served as the "flagship" vineyard of the Cistercians.
In the French Revolution, all vineyard possessions were taken from the church by the French state, and sold off to private buyers. By the early 2000s, given the many Byzantine splits, resellings and inheritances that affected the vineyard, Clos de Vougeot counted among more than 80 owners amongts its constituent parts.
Much due to the fact that wines from the vineyard are made by a plethora of different winemakers, I have never quite got a handle to what a Clos Vougeot is really supposed to taste like. How exactly is the terroir expressed in terms of flavour and profile? I thought this evening, where we managed to put together an entire horizontal of CdV wines from one vintage - 2002- would be a good time to see if we could draw some common thread.
Unfortunately, if anything else, the tasting underlined just how diferent and varied the wines from Clos Vougeot can be. Makers styles and the varying terroirs within the huge vineyard made for completely different expressions. If anything, there were only two clear themes that stood out: First, these were all wines with expressive noses, but more serious and reserved palates. Second, when not carefully managed, the wines tended towards rusticity on the palate. Other than that, they really ran the gamut.
Is it a true Grand Cru though? In the right plots, in the hands of the right winemakers, definitely yes. Otherwise - caveat emptor.
2002 Bruno Paillard Champagne Nec Plus Ultra 93 Points
France, Champagne
A huge champagne, very delicious. The nose was starting to show nice notes of development, with earth and mineral, white fruit, cherry skins and lemon zest, and just a bit of yeast at the edge of the bouquet. The palate had real girth on it - deep, powerful, even a touch obvious, with big round flavours of white fruit lined with more the cherry pip and lemon zest leading into a full, spicy finish. The mousse was just starting to mellow, but the whole structure was held up nicely with plenty of grippy mineral and really fresh, lemony acidity. Still tons left in its tank, but this was very nice even now - it should be lovely to taste in 3-4 years down the road.
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2006 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut 93 Points
France, Champagne
En Magnum - this was very different from the 2002 Paillard NPU we had together, gentler, more elegant, but equally impressive in its own way. There was a lovely nose here as well - cream, white flowers, white fruit and gentle chalky, stony mineral notes. Lovely stuff. The palate was a lot more youthful and tighter than the nose would lead one to expect, with tons of bright, juicy, mouthwatering acidity and a fine but vigorous mousse draped around a core of pure, slightly sweet white fruit laced with sour lemons, flowers and and then a nice, long mineral finish. Still a baby, but this should age really nicely.
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