Vougeot 1er Cru “Le Clos Blanc de Vougeot” Monopole Reviews

More restricted and tense than the 2013, and more aristocratic as well, this starts out with floral notes of white roses, orange pith and lime pith, presented with red-wine intensity. Earthy and sleek, this opens with air to briny minerality, while remaining tightly clenched. A touch of sweetness fleshes out the structural grip, hinting at the roseate flavors that should develop with bottle age. This has the energy to last.

The 2014 Vougeot 1er Cru le Clos Blanc has a clean and detailed, granite and smoke-scented bouquet that is austere at first, but finds its voice with aeration. The palate is rounded and harmonious on the entry with touches of tinned peach and nectarine, a keen line of acidity and nicely integrated oak just filling out the finish. Give it a year or two once in bottle - it will be a very fine Vougeot.

Rich, supple and seamless, featuring lemon, peach, apple, mineral and spice flavors. Balanced on the bright side, with fine length. Drink now through 2020. –BS

A hint of pain grillé is discernable on the refined nose that displays essence of pear, citrus, petrol and soft white florarl aromas. The refinement exhibited by the nose continues onto the textured and attractivley intense medium-bodied flavors that possess a discreet minerality on the balanced, delicious and lingering finish. This forward effort should drink well young. 

Here the nose is aromatically similar to that of the Clos du Prieuré except with slightly better layering and depth. I very much like the mouth feel of the rich, generous and fleshy medium-bodied flavors that culminate in a sappy and lingering finish where a touch of wood surfaces.

GOLD

GOLD

This is slightly more aromatically complex with its attractively fresh nose of nut oil, lemon, straw and pear. There is a lovely sense of underlying tension to the mineral-inflected medium-bodied flavors that display good cut on the very clean, refreshing and saline finish. This is really quite pretty and should drink well soon after its release. 89/2016+
 

Pears, white flowers and quince meld together in the 2012 Vougeot Le Clos Blanc de Vougeot. This is another rich, inviting white with lovely resonance and an inviting, soft personality beautifully suited to near-term drinking. The oak still needs to becom

More challenging that the Clos de Prieure, Le Clos Blanc offers so much heady complexity and gripping power that it feels gruff, needing a day for its tannic leesiness to mellow into savory scents. It tastes like a spcie box explosion, a grand wine that will be more approachable with ten years of bottle age. White grapes have grown at this 5.63-acre vineyard since 1100, currently 95 percent chardonnay, four percent pinot gris, and one percent pinot blanc, farmed under biodynamics since 2001. The vines are adjacent to the Chateau du Vougeot, neighboring Musigny and Les Amoureuses across the northern wall in Chambolle.

This is more aromatically complex with its attractively fresh nose of lemon, grapefruit and pear. There is a lovely sense of underlying tension to the mineral-inflected medium-bodied flavors that display good cut on the very clean, refreshing and saline finish. This is really quite pretty.

From a triangle of vines adjacent to the Château du Clos de Vougeot, this block has been planted to white grapes at least as far back as 1110. Jasper Morris in his article, “Nuits Blanche” (W&S, October 2012), writes that the soil here is different from the rest of Clos de Vougeot, “an unusual salmon pink conglomerate of the Oligocene period.” Today, the monopole is planted mostly to chardonnay (95 percent) with a small amount of pinots gris and blanc. It produces a golden wine, the 2010 ripe with beeswax scents and fruit notes that range from lemon to pineapple. A tight structure holds all the ripeness, keeping the wine cool, focused for long aging.

A hint of toast introduces this lemon- and apple-infused white. Fresh and racy, with a vibrant structure and lingering lemon and apple aftertaste. Best from 2013 through 2020. 995 cases made. –BS

As is typically the case this is much more interesting than its Vougeot stable mate with a softly wooded nose of wet stone, various white floral influences and plenty of ripe citrus. There is excellent punch to the notably more mineral-driven medium-bodied flavors that possess good richness and volume before terminating in a delineated, balanced and notably dry finish that evidences an interesting note of almond.

One panelist compared the harmonic power of this wine to a night at the opera in the first row. The wine’s energy has that sophistication and refinement, buzzing with limestone and mushroom earthiness, more focused on bass notes of umami and high-toned florals than any sweetness of fruit. Cellar this and you should be amply rewarded in ten years’ time.

The 2010 Vougeot Le Clos Blanc de Vougeot emerges from a monopole site. The Clos Blanc is marked by its brilliant aromatic lift and energy. The aromas and flavors flesh out nicely to the deep, creamy finish. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2018.

A fresh and notably more elegant nose features mostly earth and soft floral notes where the earthiness also characterizes the concentrated, textured and utterly delicious middle weight flavors that possess good if not sensational depth on the dry, clean and linear finish. I like the sense of poise here. (89-91)/2013+

Tasted out of the barrel at the Domaine. This has a very fine bouquet with well-defined notes of citrus lemon, hazelnut, a touch of orange zest and great mineralite. The palate is well balanced, the mineralite coming though again, touches of spice and walnut furnishing the entry, fanning out nicely across complex, Meursalt-like finish. Lovely. Tasted November 2010.

A fresh and notably more elegant nose features mostly earth and soft floral notes where the earthiness also characterizes the concentrated, textured and utterly delicious middle weight flavors that possess good if not sensational depth on the dry, clean and linear finish. I like the sense of poise here. (89-91)/2013+