2005 Domaine d'Ardhuy Clos de Vougeot

Domaine d’Ardhuy was established in Clos des Langres in 1947, when Gabriel d’Ardhuy met a young woman who was the daughter of Burgundy vineyard owners, and they married and started an estate. Today it is run by Mireille d’Ardhuy-Santiard, one of the couple’s seven daughters. Another daughter runs the family’s estate in the Rhone Valley, La Cabotte. Domaine d’Ardhuy owns 105 acres in the Cote de Beaune, including six Grand Cru parcels and 15 Premier Cru parcels. Important parcels include Grand Crus in Corton Charlemagne, Clos de Vougeot and Corton. The Premier Crus are in Puligny, Volnay, Pommard, Beaune, Savigny, Aloxe-Corton, Ladoix and Vosne-Romanee. Clive Coates has written that the domain was “reborn in 2003” when the contract the family had with Chateau Corton-Andre ended, and a new generation began focusing on lower yields and other quality-producing techniques. Today, says Coates, the domain is “’a new star.”

Clos de Vougeot is a walled vineyard that dominates the tiny commune of Vougeot in Burgundy’s Nuits-St.-Georges. The 124-acre Grand Cru vineyard includes a historic chateau that in 1945 was purchased by the Confrerie des Chevaliers du Tastevin, an organization devoted to promoting the traditions of Burgundy and its wines. The impressive chateau is the organization’s headquarters. Clos de Vougeot was established as a vineyard by Cistercian monks in the 12th century, then sold off to private owners after the French Revolution. The vineyard is unusual for a Grand Cru in that it includes land that runs down to the main road. The soil is light limestone with sand. Principal landowners are Chateau de la Tour, with 13 acres; Meo-Camuzet, 7.5 acres; Rebourseau, 5.5 acres; Louis Jadot, 5.3 acres; and Leroy, 5 acres.

This red wine is relatively light and can pair with a wide variety of foods. The grape prefers cooler climates and the wine is most often associated with Burgundy, Champagne and the U.S. west coast. Regional differences make it nearly as fickle as it is flexible.