2008 Camille Giroud Clos de Vougeot

Maison Camille Giroud is a 2.5-acre estate in Beaune and a negociant. It was founded in 1865 and remained in the Giroud family for several generations. Then in 2002 a consortium of American investors, including famed Napa Valley winemaker Ann Colgin, purchased the estate. The influential American Burgundy exporter Becky Wasserman helped arrange the deal and recruited David Croix as winemaker. Maison Camille Giroud makes Premier Crus from parcels in Beaune, Maranges, Volnay, Savigny and Vosne-Romanee, as well as villages wines. Clive Coates calls the Camille Giroud “the most exciting of the smaller negociants in Burgundy.

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.