Vougeot 1er Cru “Les Cras” Reviews

A sleek, intense red hallmarked by a beam of pure cherry flavors. While the cherry and red berry fruit, spice and stony mineral elements are locked up by the muscular structure, this is long and resilient on the finish. Best from 2028 through 2045.- Bruce Sanderson

Firm reduction and oak toast are all that can be discerned at present. More interesting are the sleek, vibrant and moderately refined middleweight flavors that also flash plenty of minerality on the tautly muscular, linear and firmly austere finale. This is very good but the word Cistercian comes to mind so patience advised.

A sleek, intense red hallmarked by a beam of pure cherry flavors. While the cherry and red berry fruit, spice and stony mineral elements are locked up by the muscular structure, this is long and resilient on the finish. Best from 2028 through 2045. 

Aromatic and supple, it's easy to get swept away by the floral, sandalwood, incense, strawberry and cherry aromas and flavors of this red. Charming and lively, with the balance and expression to enjoy now. Features fine length. Best from 2025 through 2042. - Bruce Sanderson

The 2021 Vougeot Les Cras 1er Cru has a well-defined nose. Red berry fruit and distant sea spray scents gently gain intensity in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly gritty tannins, compact and firmer in grip than Vougeraie's other cuvées with a pleasing saline finish. Enjoy this over 12-15 years.

From vines planted in 2012, the 2020 Vougeot Les Cras 1er Cru is totally destemmed. Incense and potpourri notes blossom on the nose that offer a mélange of red and black fruit. The palate is well balanced with good grip, quite ripe and poised, taut and fresh with a saline finish that fans out nicely. Good length here, this should age well in bottle.

A wonderfully fresh nose of ripe red currant, rose petal, wet stone and pungent earth scents precedes round, fleshy and well-concentrated middle weight flavors that possess first-rate intensity on the gorgeously persistent, dusty and mouth coating finish. This is also very well proportioned and should amply reward 10 to 12 years of bottle age. Recommended.

The 2010 Vougeot Les Cras is a gorgeous, mid-weight wine laced with sweet red cherries, mint and crushed rocks. This is a decidedly focused, energetic wine with notable tension and wiriness. Saline notes mark the clean, bracing finish. Vincent notes that there was a high incidence of shot berries in this parcel. The Cras was made with 50% whole bunches. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2030. This is a stunning set of wines from Pierre Vincent and Domaine de la Vougeraie. It is impossible to miss the attention to detail at this impeccably run domaine. No expense is spared. It takes 80 people to work the vineyards during harvest and another 20 in the cellar to take it from there. Production in 2010 was of course down significantly as it was everywhere else. Yields came in at 24 hectoliters per hectare for the Pinot and 29 for the Chardonnay. Vincent used between 30-80% whole bunches, depending on the wine. Readers who want to learn more might want to check out my video interview with Pierre Vincent on www.erobertparker.com. I will report on the domaine’s 2009s in the April issue. For now let me just say the 2009 Musigny is one of the wines of the vintage.

A fresh but brooding nose combines plenty of stone and soil tones with ripe wild red berries and plenty of floral nuances. There is excellent volume to the energetic, intense and overtly muscular medium weight plus flavors that benefit from the presence of plenty of dry extract that buffers the very firm and phenolically mature tannins on the balanced and impressively complex finish. This robust effort is not without a certain refinement and overall, I very much like the depth of character.

30% whole clusters. A distinct floral note adds elegance to the otherwise humus and freshly turned earth dominated red berry fruit aromas that also evidence a hint of minerality that can also be found on the vibrant and solidly well concentrated medium-bodied flavors. There is an abundant amount of dry extract that largely buffers the very firm and mildly rustic tannins on the admirably long finish where a hint of mocha can be discerned. This offers very solid if not truly special quality and will need up to a decade to reveal all of its potential.

Plush and spice-filled, this also has a smoky cast to the cherry and plum notes. Though backed by a solid structure, this is ready to enjoy. Moderate length. Drink now through 2018. 450 cases made. –BS

The 2009 Vougeot Les Cras is a mid-weight translucent red. Sweet spices, menthol and flowers add complexity to the dark fruit. The Cras is sensual, round and inviting all the way to the finish. This is a gorgeous, inviting wine. The Cras has 50% whole bunches and 45% new oak. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2027. Biodynamic farming and non-interventionalist winemaking are at the heart of the approach at Domaine de la Vougeraie. The 2009s saw roughly a 25 days of maceration (including a week of cold soak) with one punch down a day. Once in barrel racking was kept to a bare minimum. A number of wines were bottled in late 2010 and early 2011. I tasted these wines with winemaker Pierre Vincent in March 2011.

Tasted out of barrel at the Domaine. The Premier Cru Les Cras was raised with 30% whole bunches and 50% new oak. It has ripe strawberry and cranberry on the nose, handling the new oak better than some of the other Premier crus with fine definition and sense of mineralite coming through. The palate is well balanced with ripe supple tannins, good structure here, quite masculine, although the finish is just a little disjointed at the moment. Hopefully it will meld together by the time of bottling. again, I perhaps would like to see say around 30% new oak rather than 50%. Tasted November 2010.

30% whole clusters. A distinct floral note adds elegance to the otherwise hummus and freshly turned earth dominated red berry fruit aromas that also evidence a hint of minerality that can be found on the vibrant and solidly well concentrated medium-bodied flavors that possess ample amounts of dry extract that largely buffers the vewry firm and mildly rustic tannins on the admirably long finish. This is really quite good and will need about a decade to reveal all of its potential. 2019+

Floral Aromas. Red cherry palate; bright, light and engaging. A straight, pure and energetic wine, which is well defined and lifts to a high-toned, mineral finish. Drink 2015-2020