thumb|300px|Château du Clos de Vougeot
thumb|One of the gates of the wall surrounding Clos de Vougeot
thumb|Château du Clos de Vougeot
Clos de Vougeot, also known as Clos Vougeot, is a wall-enclosed vineyard, a clos, in the Burgundy wine region, and an Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) for red wine from this vineyard. It was named for the River Vouge, which is in fact only a stream separating the village Vougeot from Chambolle-Musigny. At , Clos de Vougeot is the largest single vineyard in Côte de Nuits entitled to the grand cru designation, while Corton in Côte de Beaune is the largest grand cru in Burgundy as a whole.
History
The Clos de Vougeot vineyard was created by Cistercian monks of Cîteaux Abbey, the order's mother abbey. The land making up the vineyard was purchased by the Cistercians, or donated to them, from the 12th century to the early 14th century. The initial vineyard consisted of donations in 1109 to 1115.
In the French Revolution, all vineyard possessions were taken from the church by the French state, and sold off to private buyers. In 1818, the château and vineyards of Clos de Vougeot was bought by Julien-Jules Ouvrard, who also bought the Romanée-Conti vineyard in 1819. Ouvrard later moved to Château de Gilly, another former Cistercian property, but continued to take an interest in the vineyards of Clos de Vougeot, which was then a monopole.
The soils of the middle part of the vineyard consist of softer limestone with clay and some gravel, and moderate drainage.
Regulations
Clos de Vougeot is an AOC for red wine produced from Pinot noir. The INAO appellation rules nevertheless allow mixing in up to 15 percent of Pinot blanc, Pinot gris or Chardonnay. In principle, wines from any still existing plantations of Renevey are also allowed, but replantation of this variety has been forbidden since 1938.
The allowed base yield is 35 hectoliter per hectare. The grapes must reach a maturity corresponding to a sugar content of at least 189 grams per liter of grape must and 11.5 per cent alcohol by volume. When chaptalization is allowed, the alcohol level after chaptalization may not exceed 14.5 per cent.
Wines from Clos de Vougeot are also allowed the appellation Vougeot Premier Cru, if they fail to meet the standards of the grand cru itself. The Vougeot Premier Cru regulations are slightly less restrictive when it comes to yield and grape maturity, and more importantly, also allow the production of white wine from Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc. Thus, white wine that originates from within the Clos de Vougeot vineyard can be sold as white Vougeot Premier Cru, but not under the Clos de Vougeot AOC.
Wines
thumb|A bottle of Clos de Vougeot wine. Notice the Grand Cru designation on the label.
Both the geological heterogeneity of Clos de Vougeot, and the bewildering array of many small vineyard holders, contribute to making wines produced under the Clos de Vougeot AOC designation very variable in style and quality. Very fine wine of classic quality as well as very mediocre wines are produced here.
The wines of Clos de Vougeot rose to fame when the Cistercians tended the entire vineyard and produced the wine. In producing Clos de Vougeot, the Cistercians first produced cuvées from the different parts of the vineyard, and then blended them to produce a high-class wine. was the featured wine in the film Babette's Feast, whose feast is set in 1885.
"Clos Vougeot" is the preferred restorative of Miserrimus Dexter, a character in Wilkie Collins' 1875 novel, The Law and the Lady.
In Edgar Allan Poe's "The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether" (1845), Clos de Vougeot is the wine being drunk at the feast. It is also mentioned in Poe's Bon-Bon.
Clos de Vougeot makes an appearance in Dorothy Sayers' short story "The Bibulous Business of a Matter of Taste", where it is one of the wines that Lord Peter Wimsey must identify from memory.
The Château du Clos de Vougeot is featured on a 1951 French stamp, designed and engraved by Pierre Gandon, to celebrate its 400th anniversary. The Château first appeared on a French stamp in 1945 (30f). Dennis Wheatley mentioned this version in his 1962 guide to many modern stamps “Scenes and Portraits”, recently rediscovered. In it, Wheatley states of Clos de Vougeot “The French hold it in such honour that whenever a French regiment marches past it, the order to salute is given.”.
Lalique, the French glassmaker, designed a range of crystal glassware named Clos Vougeot after the vineyard in 1961. The stem is decorated with a cluster of grapes. The range was discontinued in 2006. (Cite https://www.lalique.com/en)
See also
- List of Burgundy Grand Crus