2009 Mongeard-Mugneret Clos de Vougeot

Mongeard-Mugneret is a 75-acre estate in Vosne-Romanee, in Burgundy’s Cote de Nuits. There were Mongeards making wine in the region in the 19th century and in 1945 Jean Mongeard, whose mother was a Mugneret, began working the family domaine though he was still a teenager. Today the estate is mostly run by Jean’s son Vincent. The domain has Grand Cru parcels in Echezeaux, Grands-Echezeaux, Echezeaux “Vieilles Vignes,” Clos de Vougeot and Richebourg. There are also numerous Premier Crus and villages wines. Domaine Mongeard-Mugneret has parcels in 22 appellations. Robert M. Parker Jr. has written that the domain’s “style of winemaking seems to extract rich, supple, concentrated fruit from the grapes.”

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.