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2005 Clos Blanc de Vougeot, 1er Cru, Domaine de la Vougeraie

Product: 2527

Maturity: Ready, but will keep

Vintage: 2005

Origin: France » Burgundy » Côte de Nuits » Vougeot

Producer: Domaine de la Vougeraie

Grape Variety: Chardonnay

Style: Medium-Full Bodied, Dry, 13% alcohol

Eco Information: Organic (Certified), Biodynamic (Certified)

Berrys' Notes There’s a huge amount going on here: fresh almonds and spring grass on the nose followed by a fine weight of fruit on the palate. This is deliciously complex backed by a fine mineral finish and above all extraordinary persistence. This will drink well young or old. Drink 2008-2018.

Property: Domaine de la Vougeraie

Domaine de la Vougeraie, based in Premeaux just south of Nuits St Georges, was created in 1999 when Jean-Claude Boisset of the Boisset group decided to group together all the vineyard holdings of his various negociant companies acquired over the years.

With nearly 40 hectares of vineyard and over 30 different appellations, including six grand crus (Musigny, Bonnes Mares, Clos Vougeot, Charmes Chambertin, Mazoyères, Corton Clos du Roi and Corton Charlemagne), this is one of Burgundy’s leading domaines.

No expense has been spared in production terms. The premier and grand cru vineyards are all farmed biodynamically with carefully limited yields. The cellar has been equipped with a battery of new or renovated wooden fermentation vats, a state of the art sorting table and a new model of the old fashioned vertical press which is thought to be the best option for red wines. The wines were made by Pascal Marchand of Comte Armand in Pommard, from 1999 to 2005 and subsequently by Pierre Vincent (pictured).

Whites Corton Charlemagne En Charlemagne, Grand Cru 0.22 ha; Vougeot 1er Cru Clos Blanc de Vougeot 2.29 ha; Vougeot Clos de Prieuré 0.83 ha; Beaune 0.74 ha; Côte de Beaune, Les Pierres Blanches 1.06 ha

Reds Musigny Grand Cru 0.21 ha; Bonnes Mares Grand Cru 0.70 ha; Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru 1.41 ha; Charmes Chambertin Les Mazoyères Grand Cru 0.74 ha; Corton Clos du Roi Grand Cru 0.50 ha; Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Bel Air 1.01 ha; Vougeot 1er Cru Les Cras 1.43 ha; Nuits St Georges 1er Cru Les

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Damodes 0.92 ha; Nuits St Georges 1er Cru Corvées Pagets 0.33 ha; Beaune 1er Cru Grèves 0.33 ha; Beaune 1er Cru Clos du Roi ;0.26 ha; Savigny 1er Cru Marconnets 1.83 ha; Gevrey Chambertin La Justice 0.83 ha; Gevrey Chambertin Evocelles 2.84 ha; Gevrey Chambertin 1.84 ha; Chambolle Musigny 0.60 ha; Vougeot Clos de Prieuré 1.00 ha; Pommard Petits Noizons 1.10 ha; Côte de Beaune, Les Pierres Blanches 1.87 ha

Vintage Notes: 2005 - White Burgundy The 2005 vintage is as outstanding in Burgundy as everywhere else in France. The success rate is not quite as universal for white wines as for red as some vineyards suffered from the drought. However a significant number of growers made their most exceptional wines for years: full of fruit and with good balancing acidity.

The wines have a terrific sense of energy and despite the weight that comes from really concentrated fruit, they are never heavy and finish with a refreshing minerality.

All regions, from M‚con to Chablis produced top-quality wines but yields were significantly reduced compared to 2004. Bearing this in mind, price increases have been very modest.

The extended cold winter did not finish until around 10th March and ensured that all the bugs in the vineyard were killed off. There were no frost problems later on with a fair crop setting.

April and May were wetter than usual which happily replenished the water table in view of the drought conditions to come. Flowering started during the very hot weekend of 28th-29th May but continued for nearly three weeks as the weather turned cold again. This also led to millerandage (small berries) on the Chardonnay vines which limited the crop.

There was a burst of heat in late June followed by a dry but not very hot July and August. Unlike 2003 where excess heat was the problem, drought was much more of an issue in 2005 affecting young vines and those vineyards with very little topsoil. Rainfall was well below average for the rest of the summer.

Fortunately the coolish weather meant there was relatively little hail damage apart from one serious storm on 17th July which did a great deal of damage in Santenay and parts of Chassagne-Montrachet.

September began with a brief burst of heat followed by much needed rain. The starting date for the harvest was set for 12th September in the Côte de Beaune. Healthy grapes and not much foliage made picking very easy. Producers reacted by using small teams of pickers or finishing early in the day rather than hurrying through the harvest.

Region: Vougeot

Most of the wine produced in this small village comes from one single walled grand cru vineyard, the famous Clos de Vougeot. The vineyard in its present form dates from 1336 (when it was first planted by monks of the Citeaux) although it was not until the following century that it was entirely enclosed by stone walls.

Clos de Vougeot is the smallest commune and largest clos in the Cote d’Or. It consists of 50 hectares of vineyards owned by 82 owners, with six soil types. There is quite a difference in quality between the upper (best) and lower (least fine) parts of the vineyard, though in medieval times a blend from all sectors was considered optimum.

Domaine de la Vougeraie make a very fine white wine from le Clos Blanc de Vougeot, first picked out by the Monks of Cîteaux as being suitable ground for white grapes in the year 1110.

• 5 hectares of village Vougeot. • 12 hectares of premier cru vineyards (4 in all). Les Cras, Les Petits Vougeots, Clos de la Perrière and Clos Blanc de Vougeot. • 51 hectares of grand cru vineyard – Clos de Vougeot. • Recommended Producers: Domaine de la Vougeraie, Domaine Bertagna, Engel, Anne Gros, Grivot, Liger-Belair, Meo-Camuzet.

Grape: Chardonnay Chardonnay is the "Big Daddy" of white wine grapes and one of the most widely planted in the world. It is suited to a wide variety of soils, though it excels in soils with a high limestone content as found in Champagne, Chablis, and the Côte D`Or.

Burgundy is Chardonnay's spiritual home and the best White Burgundies are dry, rich, honeyed wines with marvellous poise, elegance and balance. They are unquestionably the finest dry white wines in the world. Chardonnay plays a crucial role in the Champagne blend, providing structure and finesse, and is the sole grape in Blanc de Blancs.

It is quantitatively important in California and Australia, is widely planted in Chile and South Africa, and is now the most widely planted grape in New Zealand. In warm climates Chardonnay has a tendency to develop very high sugar levels during the final stages of ripening and this can occur at the expense of acidity. Late picking is a common problem and can result in blowsy and flabby wines that lack structure and definition.

Recently in the New World, we have seen a move towards more elegant, better- balanced and less oak-driven Chardonnays, and this is to be welcomed.

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