Yvon Clerget - Clos de Vougeot 2017

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Containing the largest Grand Cru in all of the Côte d’Or, Vougeot, the village, takes its name from the small stream flowing through it, called Vouge. Over three quarters of the village retains Grand Cru status, and a single vineyard at that: Clos de Vougeot (or simply, Clos Vougeot). Its mass—over 50 ha—retains the single name chiefly for historic reasons.

But today, Clos de Vougeot contains over 80 owners and shows significant soil and slope variations within its boundaries. The top, bordering Musigny and Grands Echezeaux, is calcareous and gravelly on oolitic limestone and exhibits wonderful drainage. The middle sections are limestone, gravel and clay with less of a slope. The lower part has little slant and is mostly made of clay. Historically the diverse parcels were blended but today the abundance of owners means that everyone has his own style. Exploring and understanding them is part of the allure of Clos de Vougeot.

In general a fine Clos de Vougeot when young will be dense and dark but juicy, with a pronounced austerity, and needs a good ten years to bring it to its full potential.

Yvon Clerget Description

"The reborn Domaine Y. Clerget could very well turn out to be one of the great recent success stories in Burgundy… Readers should do whatever they can to taste these wines. [Thibaud] Clerget is just 28 and appears to have a brilliant career in front of him. Bravo!"-Antonio Galloni, Vinous

The Clergets have been working their vineyards for generations until 2009 when Yvon announced he was going to retire. They began selling all of their fruit to Henri Boillot while Yvon's son Thibaud continued to study and learn more about vineyard management and winemaking while working with Henri Boillot and Hudelot Noellat. Pretty good places to learn! In 2015, the Clergets stopped selling their fruit and Thibaud produced and bottled his first wines under the Domaine Yvon Clerget label.

Thibaud Clerget is the winemaker, in his 30s by the way, and oversees top premier cru vineyard holdings in Volnay and Pommard to go along with a tiny parcel of Clos Vougeot from Grand Maupertui in the upper section of the Clos next to Anne Gros and Meo Camuzet!

Vinous: 92-95 Points

The 2017 Clos Vougeot Grand Cru is another stellar wine from Thibaud Clerget. Energetic and vibrant in the glass, with striking aromatic presence from the 50% whole clusters, the 2017 is spot-on. Bright floral notes add lift to a core of finely-sculpted red cherry/plum fruit. The 2017 is an impressive wine in the making. - Antonio Galloni