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| Le Domaine de la Vougeraie Ten years old and it feels like only yesterday… |
| July 2009 |
La Vougeraie is also about a desire to produce excellent wines that evoke their terroir, a demanding philosophy and one which is behind the choice made at the very outset, to use organic cultivation practices and thus ensure living soil that inspires pure wines. Soon after, a more holistic vision lead to the introduction of biodynamic practices, and these are now common to over half of the estate.
The Domaine de la Vougeraie is comprised of a mosaic of 67 plots over 34 hectares, with two-thirds on the Côte de Nuits, and the remainder on the Côte de Beaune, producing 27 appellations. At the heart of the estate is our “diamond set within rubies”, the mythical, magical monopole of Le Clos Blanc de Vougeot. Carefully worked land, small yields, concentrated grapes handled with extreme gentleness from their birth through to their metamorphosis and individual vinification and maturing for each plot all contribute to the elegant style and ever-more precise definition of terroir to be found in every bottle.
La Vougeraie is also about creativity and a more modern vision of Burgundy. This is exemplified by the enigmatic Bollery plot; “La Grande Famille”, a unique blend of premier and grand crus produced in 2000; “Réunion de Famille”, a cuvée of village wines in 2001; and “Fête de Famille”, the estate’s first sparkling grand vin, unveiled in 2008. The family spirit lives on as does that of the Cîteaux monks in Vougeot, ever moving towards greater heights.
Attention to detail is the mantra at each stage of the process, sometimes verging on the obsessional. The winery with its wooden vats tailor-made to each cuvée, the vibrating sorting table and the vertical press all combine tradition with the very latest technology towards the single goal of respecting these delicate grapes and turning them into something exceptional.
For ageing, the utmost care is paid to barrel selection with eight coopers on hand to perfect the nuances of the wood depending on the nature of each plot, vintage by vintage. The cellar, which is now air-conditioned, has been improved over the years with meticulous attention to detail right down to the bottling, which always follows the lunar calendar.
Pascal Marchand was the Domaine’s first winemaker, guiding the first seven vintages. And Pierre Vincent, who took over from the 2006 vintage, shares Pascal’s rigorous attention to detail. He is developing our biodynamic approach with new preparations for even more vines – a “winemaker’s herborium” has just been created at the estate and the herb-drying and infusion preparation room renovated.
Jean-Charles Boisset’s mission with the Domaine de la Vougeraie over the past ten years has been to convince the world of the value of this estate created from scratch, and the Domaine now ships 110,000 bottles every year, in all shapes and sizes including jeroboams, rehoboams and methusalems.
But the philosophy isn’t just about creating something wonderful from something natural; it is also about preserving the natural world around us. And this ethos is translated not just in the vines and the cellar but in all aspects of life at the Domaine. Traditional boxes have given way to undyed and recycled cardboard boxes, all paper comes from sustainable forests, and we’re currently in the process of testing FSC*-certified corks.
The Domaine de la Vougeraie may be celebrating its tenth birthday, but what is a decade in Burgundy with its millennia of history? The passion and ambition that fuelled the creation of the Domaine de la Vougeraie remain constant, and every day, the painstaking work to create something truly exceptional is pursued with renewed vigor.
* Forest Stewardship Council, sustainable forest management
Press contacts : presse@boisset.fr
Nathalie Bergès-Boisset – Véronique Destaing
Tél. + 33 (0)3 80 62 61 61 |
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Who are we?
Domaine de la Vougeraie
