Les Chaignots: This 5.86-hectare Premier Cru climat lies in the northern part of the commune of Nuits-St-Georges, uphill and to the north of the village. Facing east and lying at 260-280 meters, this vineyard has a slope of 8-20%, and lies just to the north of Les Thorey and west of Aux Vignerondes. The topsoil is a mixture of brown limestone, gravel and clay and the subsoil is Comblanchien limestone. The name derives the old French chasne (oak), referring to the trees in the forests of Nuits.
Archive for the ‘Vineyards’ Category
Vineyard Description: Nuits-Saint-Georges, LES CHAIGNOTS , Premier Cru
Posted in Appellations, Burgundy, Vineyards, Wine on May 4, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Vineyard Description: Nuits-Saint-Georges, LES BOUDOTS , Premier Cru
Posted in Appellations, Burgundy, Vineyards, Wine, tagged Domaine Gérard Mugneret, Domaine Leroy, Domaine Meo-Camuzet on May 4, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Les Boudots: This 7.61-hectare Premier Cru climat lies in the northern part of the commune of Nuits-St-Georges, uphill and to the north of the village, along the northern border with Vosne-Romanée, near Aux Malconsorts. Facing east and lying at 250-290 meters, this vineyard has a slope of 18%. The topsoil is a mixture of brown limestone with rocks and fine gravel. and the subsoil is Comblanchien limestone. With its elegance and silky texture, the wines of Les Boudots show far more kinship to Vosne than to Nuits. Allen Meadows describes Les Boudots as “the most gifted Premier Cru in Nuits.” Outstanding examples of the vineyard are produced by Domaine Gérard Mugneret, Domaine Meo-Camuzet and Domaine Leroy.
Vineyard Description: Nuits-Saint-Georges, LES DAMODES , Premier Cru
Posted in Appellations, Burgundy, Vineyards, Wine, tagged Domaine de la Vougeraie on May 4, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Les Damodes: This 8.55-hectare Premier Cru climat lies in the northern part of the commune of Nuits-St-Georges, uphill and to the north of the village and along the border with Vosne-Romanée. Facing east and lying at 280-340 meters, this vineyard has a slope of 20% and runs along the top of Premiers Crus Aux Cras, Le Richemone and Aux Murgers. The topsoil is a limestone-rich mixture of clay and silt. The name derives from a triad of Druid goddesses who were believed to control harvests. One excellent source of Les Damodes is Domaine de la Vougeraie.
Vineyard Description: Nuits-Saint-Georges, CLOS des FORÊTS , Premier Cru
Posted in Appellations, Burgundy, Vineyards, Wine, tagged Domaine de l’Arlot on May 4, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Clos des Forêts: This 7.11-hectare Premier Cru climat of Nuits-Saint-Georges is a monopole of the Domaine de l’Arlot. It lies in the northern part of the commune of Premeaux-Prissey along the Beaune-Dijon road (RN 74) just after the road passes into the commune from Nuits-St-Georges. Facing east and lying at 240-270 meters with a slope of 7-8%, the soil is a rich mixture of limestone, clay, sand and stones over a base of Comblanchien limestone. The vines in Clos des Forêts were planted in the 1950’s. Grapes from vines planted after 1986 are vinified and bottled by the the Domaine de l’Arlot under the name Les Petits Plets.
Vineyard Description: Nuits-Saint-Georges, CLOS de l’ARLOT, Premier Cru
Posted in Appellations, Burgundy, Vineyards, Wine, tagged Domaine de l’Arlot on May 4, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Clos de l’Arlot, Premier cru: This 5.44-hectare Premier Cru climat, located in the appellation of Nuits-St-Georges, is a a monopole of the Domaine de l’Arlot. It lies along the Beaune-Dijon road as it passes through the commune of Premeaux-Prissey immediately to the north of the Clos de la Marechale. Due to a geological fault, the slope of the land becomes quite steep, ranging from 10% to a dizzying 35%. Facing east, southeast and lying at 230-260m above sea level, the soil is a rich mixture of limestone and clay over a base of Comblanchien limestone. Unusually, this Nuits-St-Georges vineyard produces both red and white wine. There are 1.76 hectares devoted to Chardonnay and 2 hecatres to Pinot Noir. The vineyard takes its name from the tiny Arlot River, a tributary of the Courtavaux River.
Vineyard Description: Nuits-Saint-Georges, CLOS de la MARECHALE, Premier Cru
Posted in Appellations, Burgundy, Vineyards, Wine, tagged Domaine Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier, J-F. Mugnier on May 4, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Clos de la Marechale, Premier Cru: This 9.55-hectare Premier Cru climat of Nuits-Saint-Georges, is a monopole of Domaine J-F. Mugnier. The Clos is a walled vineyard that abuts the Beaune-Dijon road (RN 74) as it passes through the commune of Premeaux-Prissey at the southern extremity of the vineyards in the Nuits-St-Georges appellation. It has been owned by the Mugnier family since 1902 but was under lease to Maison Faiveley until 2004. The slope of the land is very gentle at 5-6%. Facing east, southeast and lying at 240-260 meters , the soil is a rich mixture of limestone, clay, pebbles and sand over a subsoil of pink Comblanchien limestone.
Almost the entirety of the vineyard is dedicated to the production of the iconic red Nuits-St.-Georges, Clos de la Marechale, made entirely from Pinot Noir. There is however, a tiny plot of 400 square meters, situated along the northern edge of the vineyard, which has been planted with Chardonnay, and produces one of the very few Premier Cru white Burgundies in the Côte-de-Nuits. Prior to 2004, wine from this unique plot had been reserved solely for the Faiveley family but is now available in very limited quantities.
It is occasionally claimed that the Clos de la Marechale derives its name from the wife of a Marechale of the Second Empire, during the time of Napoleon III. It must be emphasized, however, that Fred Mugnier, who has thoroughly researched the history, rejects this derivation and asserts that the origin of the name is unknown. Prior to its present name, the vineyard was known as the Clos des Forches, which is the name that Domaine Mugnier now uses for the wine made from younger vines.
Vineyard Description: Vosne-Romanée, LA COLOMBIÈRE
Posted in Appellations, Burgundy, Vineyards, Wine, tagged Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair, Liger-Belair, Louis-Michel Liger-Belair, Vosne-Romanée on April 26, 2010| Leave a Comment »
La Colombière is a lieu-dit located in the commune of Vosne-Romanée in Burgundy’s Cote d’Or. The vineyard lies just east of that portion of the village which abuts Grand Cru vineyard Romanée St-Vivant. La Colombière itself lies halfway between the RN74 and the village. The soil of La Colombière is similar to the clay and limestone of other village-level vineyards east of the town, such as the Clos du Château, but is significantly less rocky.
Major owners of La Colombière include Domaine du Comte-Liger-Belair, which exploits a .78-hectare parcel just to the east of the Domaine’s monopole, Clos du Château. The southeast-facing parcel is planted with vines averaging 60-80 years. Louis-Michel Liger-Belair uses 350-liter barrels for élevage of his La Colombière.
Vineyard Description: Vosne-Romanée, CLOS du CHATEAU, monopole
Posted in Appellations, Burgundy, Vineyards, Wine, tagged Comte Liger-Belair, Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair, Louis-Michel Liger-Belair, Vosne-Romanée on April 26, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Clos du Château is a small 0.83-hectare lieu-dit located in the commune of Vosne-Romanée in Burgundy’s Cote d’Or. The walled vineyard is a monopole of Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair, and adjoins the Château de Vosne-Romanée, where the Liger-Belair family lives and where the Domaine’s cuverie is located. The vines were planted in 1970 in the rocky, limestone soil of the vineyard. The vineyard produces approximately 325 cases of wine each year.
Appellation Profile: MUSIGNY, Grand Cru
Posted in Appellations, Burgundy, Vineyards, Wine, tagged Domaine de la Vougeraie, Domaine Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier, Domaine Leroy, Georges de Vogue, Georges Roumier, J-F. Mugnier, Vougeraie on April 23, 2010| 2 Comments »
Musigny is a Grand Cru vineyard and appellation situated in the commune of Chambolle-Musigny in the Côte de Nuits sector of Burgundy. The vineyard lies to the south of the village itself, and borders the Grand Cru Clos de Vougeot in the southeast, the Grand Cru Échezeaux in the south, and the Premier Cru Les Amoureuses in the northeast. The vineyard aggregates a modest 10.86 hectares and lies on a slope ranging from an 8% to a 14% grade, with elevations between 260 meters and 280 meters. The shallow brown topsoil, which averages only 20cm-30cm in depth, is comprised of limestone pebbles and red clay over a limestone base. Similar to Les Bonnes Mares, Musigny is bifurcated by a path into a northern section, Grand Musigny, and a southern section, Les Petits Musignys, which is a monopole of the Domaine Georges de Vogüé. Grand Musigny, which faces southeast, is mostly limestone with some clay. The southern section, Les Petits Musignys, faces south and is comprised of a higher proportion of clay. Musigny produces exclusively Pinot Noir-based red Burgundy, except for a tiny parcel of Les Petits Musignys from which Vogüé produces a precious white wine from Chardonnay, the only one in the Côte de Nuits entitled to be labelled as Grand Cru.
It is beyond dispute that Le Musigny is one of the greatest vineyards in the world. The name derives from a Gallo-Roman settlement, Musinus, which was itself likely named after a once important but now forgotten Roman. The climat was cultivated at least by the 8th century. Certainly, by the time that the Abbey of Cîteaux founded the Clos de Vougeot in 1110, the vineyard was already producing legendary wine.
Clive Coates has written that Musigny produces red wine that “can be quite simply the most delicious to be found in Burgundy…. With … its incomparable breed, depth, originality and purity on the finish, a great Musigny is heaven in a glass.” Perhaps more poetically, the Burgundian Gaston Roupnel wrote that “Le Musigny à l’odeur d’un jardin sous la rosée, … de la rose et de la violette à aurore.” [“Musigny has the scent of a garden in the morning dew of the rose and violet dawn.”]
Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé owns 7.12 hectares of Musigny, almost 65.6%, including the entirety of Les Petits Musignys. The Vogüé wines set the standard of excellence, although Domaine Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier (with 1.13 hectares) produces equally-inspired and distinctive Musigny. Equally superb examples of Musigny, each with its own hallmark, come from tiny parcels owned by Domaine de la Vougeraie (.21 hectares), Domaine Leroy (.27 hectares), and Domaine Georges Roumier (.10 hectares).
Vineyard Description: Chambolle-Musigny, LES CHARMES, Premier Cru
Posted in Appellations, Burgundy, Vineyards, Wine on April 22, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Les Charmes is a 9.53-hectare Premier Cru climat located in the commune and appellation of Chambolle-Musigny. Comprised of three separate parcels, the vineyard lies midslope at approximately 260 meters of elevation, to the south of Les Plantes and to the north of Les Amoureuses. The soil and style are very similar to Le Musigny and Les Amoureuses. Facing east, northeast, Les Charmes has a limestone soil, rich in gravel and sand, with some influence of red clay, but the topsoil is thin and runs to a depth of only 40-50 cm over the underlying base of Bathonian limestone.
The vineyard name derives, alas, not from the seductive allure of its wine but from the Latin-based word meaning field that also engendered the modern French champs (“field”).
