Domaine de la Vougeraie Reviews

Toasty and leesy, with generous minerality underlying apple, lime and citronella aromas and flavors. Sleek and well-defined, with a virbrant aftertaste of citrus, orchard fruit, stone and spices. - Bruce Sanderson

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

Supple, delivering cherry, strawberry and rose aromas and flavors allied to a lush texture and lively structure. This is all about finesse, with a long aftertaste driven by harmony and freshness. Best from 2025 through 2042.  - Bruce Sanderson

An elegant, subdued red, offering black cherry, black currant, violet and sweet spices. Gaining depth from smoke and mineral hints, this is balanced and fades gracefully on the lingering finish. Drink now through 2032. - Bruce Sanderson

A rich style, featuring luscious black cherry, blackberry and violet flavors. Soft and enticing, with fine balance and dark fruit echoing on the finish, along with sweet spices. Drink now through 2035. - Bruce Sanderson

A well-defined red, with cherry, strawberry, sandalwood and mineral flavors fused to a linear frame. Gaining support from lively acidity and dense tannins, this feels balanced overall, with a resonant aftertaste. Best from 2026 through 2045. - Bruce Sanderson

A focused, even racy red, whose blackberry, black cherry, earth and spice notes are fused to the linear frame. Shows fine concentration, balance and length, yet needs some time to unwind. Best from 2026 through 2043. - Bruce Sanderson

Sweet sawdust and vanilla notes mingle with black cherry and blackberry flavors in this silky, polished red, whose tannins are soft and balanced with fine acidity, ending with a lingering finish of tomato leaf and oak spice. Best from 2025 through 2042. - Bruce Sanderson

Rich and juicy, offering cherry, raspberry and spice flavors that coat the palate, while earth and tobacco accents add detail. Features a line of fine tannins underneath but, for now, this is all about fleshy fruit. Shows fine harmony, polish and length. Best from 2024 through 2037. - Bruce Sanderson

Toasty and leesy, with generous minerality underlying apple, lime and citronella aromas and flavors. Sleek and well-defined, with a vibrant aftertaste of citrus, orchard fruit, stone and spices. Best from 2025 through 2037.

The 2021 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Evocelles 1er Cru has an attractive nose with white pepper and subtle Provençal herbs aromas elevating this above the Village. The palate is medium-bodied with gentle grip, well balanced with a slight citric note towards the finish. This has a bit of swagger, and it should drink well once in bottle for the next decade.

The 2021 Musigny Grand Cru contains 100% whole bunches like the BonnesMares this year, but they are better assimilated. Red berry fruit, undergrowth and light tobacco scents gently unfold. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly dry tannins, rather spicy, building in the mouth with white pepper touches towards the finish. It's a lovely wine but not a top-drawer Musigny.

The 2021 Charmes-Chambertin les Mazoyères Grand Cru comes from 114-yearold vines and is one of the few to contain stems this year, just 10%. It has an open-knit bouquet with red fruit, bay leaf and Earl Grey, nicely defined but certainly missing some power. The palate is clean and fresh with crunchy red fruit, slightly ferrous with a bit of dryness towards the finish. But there is a sense of complexity here, and I find this Charmes-Chambertin has plenty of character and sapidity.

The 2021 Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru comes from three plots. It takes time to unfurl on the nose, eventually offering citrus fruit, popcorn and hints of Mirabelle. The palate is balanced with an attractive, slightly waxy texture. It shows fine depth with the mineralité eventually surfacing with aeration. Afford this three or four years in bottle.

The monks of Cîteaux used this walled vineyard as their source of white wine for 700 years before the Revolution; it has remained planted to white grapes and remained intact, now in the hands of the Boisset family. The parcel is across the road from Clos Vougeot, northeast of the entrance to the château; the 7.53 acres of chardonnay, along with a little pinot gris and blanc, grow in white, calcareous soils, producing an ornate wine, saturated with honey and mineral power. It’s creamy and taut, needing time to show its layers of flavor, a sophisticate white take on Vougeot.

Bright cherry and raspberry fruit flavors hold court in this light-bodied red, which is firm and persistent, gathering accents of earth and tomato leaf as this delivers a long finish. Best from 2024 through 2038. 385 cases made, 24 cases imported. — BS

The 2020 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru has 100% whole bunch, though stems neatly enmeshed on the nose with hints of blueberry and cassis infusing the red fruit. A little timid at the moment, it will open with bottle age. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red fruit, fine acidity, just a little chewiness on the entry. Structured on the finish, this is quite a "serious" Bonnes-Mares that just needs to muster more charm on the finish

The 2020 Gevrey-Chambertin La Justice was completely-destemmed this year. It offers brambly red berry fruit laced with rose petals and peony on the nose. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, lithe in the mouth, no hard edges here with a lightly peppered, quite finessed finish. Worth seeking out.

From eight different parcels including 20% whole bunch with some Premier Cru fruit, the 2020 Chambolle-Musigny Village has an attractive, well-defined bouquet with brambly red fruit, white pepper and a touch of tobacco. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, cohesive, fine build in the mouth towards a lightly spiced finish with a slight gamey aftertaste. This should age well in bottle.

A powerful and serious red Burgundy, this is a blend from two parcels in Gilly-lès-Citeaux, near the domaine’s base in Vougeot, and two parcels in Beaune. It layers rose scents and flavors of cranberry and anise over substantial tannins, the structure sophisticated and firm.

 

North of Clos de Vougeot, close to the village and the Vouge, the stream that gives the village its name, this two acres of chardonnay on pebbly limestone produced a juicy 2015 with flavors of fresh-cut pear. It expands from lean to opulent, finding a sweet and salty balance. Not as long-lived as Le Clos Blanc, this should be ready to drink after a year or two in the cellar.

Black cherry and toasty vanilla aromas and flavors are the hallmarks of this muscular red. Hints of tobacco and chocolate linger. The firm structure begs for patience. 

This is supple and spicy, with flavors of vanilla and sweet baking spices framing the strawberry and currant fruit. Shows light touches of earth and mineral as this finishes with a chalky sensation. Elegant. 

Healthy medium red. Subtle aromas of redcurrant, spices and earth, plus a hint of smoke. A supple, sweet, attractive midweight without any edges. Intense red fruits and dusty brown spices carry very well through the fine-grained finish. Suavely tannic for Corton, this wine should have very good staying power in the bottle. -- Stephen Tanzer

Bright medium red. Aromas of redcurrant, cherry and spices. Offers more energy and definition than the Clos du Roi, with higher-pitched flavors of spices and red fruits. A juicy Beaune wine with a touch of youthful bitterness on the back end, but sound acids and tannins give grip to the finish.

The 2014 Saivgny-lès-Beaune Blanc Villages is a blend of two vineyards. It has a tightly wound bouquet with hints of nutmeg and dried honey coming through, showing more vigor than the Beaune Blanc. The palate is well balanced with a touch of tropical fruit on the entry, good weight in the mouth with a long, tender and harmonious finish. This comes recommended. 
 

Year's Best White Burgundy. A formal, old-fashioned style of Burgundy, this wine's oak age contributes the scent of hazelnut butter. It's oxidative, with umami mushroom notes and mouthwatering acidity. The flavors will meld with roast salmon.

An utterly impeccable wine, 2012 Gevrey-Chambertin Bel Air impresses for its definition and sweet, perfumed fruit. Black cherry, mint, violet and hard candy notes flow effortlessly from this silky, polished 1er Cru Burgundy. This is pure finesse. Producti

A deft but not invisible touch of wood sets off fresh aromas of red and blue berry fruit aromas, kirsch, humus and plenty of forest floor nuances. The fleshy and round, even succulent middle weight flavors exude a fine minerality on the mouth coating finish that while delicious lacks the same sense of vibrancy and refreshing acidity.