Domaine de la Vougeraie Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru ‘Bel Air’ 2023

Why is this Wine so Yummy?

About Domaine de la Vougeraie

The Domaine de la Vougeraie was created by bringing together the Boisset family’s vineyards and other wine estates acquired over the years. The first of these goes back to 1964 with the first plot, Les Evocelles, in the village of Gevrey-Chambertin, which was bought by our father when he started out.

More than 20 years later came a second phase, with the addition of more vineyards including our first foothold on the Côte de Beaune. In 1996, the vineyards which today make up the third of our estate on the Côte de Beaune were acquired. This was followed by the acquisition of Le Clos Blanc, the famous monopole which produces its renowned golden nectar. These vines in our family village were the natural inspiration for the Domaine de la Vougeraie, like a return to our childhood roots.

Nathalie & Jean-Charles Boisset

A patchwork of 74 plots covering 42 hectares make up the estate, two-thirds on the Côte de Nuits, one-third on the Côte de Beaune, together producing 36 appellations,  including six grand crus (Musigny, Bonnes Mares, Clos Vougeot, Charmes Chambertin, Mazoyères, Corton Clos du Roi and Corton Charlemagne). At the heart is the diamond set among rubies, the legendary monopole of Vougeot Premier Cru Le Clos Blanc de Vougeot.

Lovingly tended soils, low yields for concentrated fruit, which is then handled with extreme care throughout growing cycle, followed by hand-stitched vinification and ageing for each plot: All of this contributes to a style that is all about elegance and the continual quest for a precise expression of terroir.

In the Vineyard & Winery

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 who has maintained the more delicate approach. The grapes are sorted before being given a cool pre-maceration. During fermentation Pierre punches down only once a day, much less than Pascal used to. The temperature is maintained at 26º-28ºC/79-81ºF after fermentation to polymerise the tannins and fix the colour. The Musigny is destemmed by hand. Starting in 2008 he has begun to experiment with some whole bunch fermentation, though only for a proportion of a given cuvée.

The 2023 Vintage at Domaine de la Vougeraie

From Burghound

Sylvie Poillot, who is the general manager of this now 52 ha domaine of which 70% of the production is in red, told me that the 2023 growing season was “basically hot and dry but not extreme in the fashion of 2020 or 2022. The fruit set was huge so it was imperative to drop fruit so that we could obtain reasonable maturities. There wasn’t much disease pressure so while I wouldn’t call the growing season simple, it was definitely easier than normal. We began the harvest with the whites on the 30th of August and then attacked the entry level reds on the 3rd of September and finally the grand cru reds on the 8th. The picking was long though and we didn’t finish until the 29th and there was a significant difference in maturities between the reds and the whites. With vineyards in as many communes as we have, and with 170 different parcels no less, the sorting required was quite variable as some had almost none and others were more involved. Yields were generous without being excessive as they averaged around 43 hl/ha for the reds and about 53 hl/ha for the whites.

Potential alcohols were moderate at between 12.5 and 13% and we had no difficulties with the fermentations. As was the case last year, I chose to vinify lightly, preferring to emphasize elegance and refinement rather than extraction. As to the wines, I like this vintage a lot. I wasn’t sure what to expect given the yields but there is excellent terroir transparency and the quality seems to be improving month-by-month. Moreover, there is a certain charm and tenderness to the wines, especially the reds, which should allow them to be enjoyed young if desired.” There are a number of quality efforts up and down the appellation hierarchy but the Bonnes Mares and Musigny really stood out. 

Where in the World is Domaine de la Vougeraie?

Domaine de la Vougeraie is based in Premeaux just south of Nuits St Georges. This wine comes from Gevrey-Chambertin.