Vougeot
Home of the Clos de Vougeot, the Cistercian vineyard and château at the heart of Burgundy's wine story.
- Wine village
- 27 min from Beaune
- Red and white wines
- 1 grand cru
€290for a half-day wine tour from Beaune, up to 4 guests
At a glance
- Appellations
- Vougeot
- Grapes
- Pinot Noir, Chardonnay
- Premiers crus
- 4
Getting there
Private driver from Beaune: 27 min by road (24 km), €100 one way for the whole car.
Coming by train or plane? Transfers from stations and airports →
About Vougeot
Vougeot is a tiny village, with fewer than 200 inhabitants, but a very big name. Much of its land is taken up by the Clos de Vougeot, a walled grand cru of about 50 hectares created by the monks of Cîteaux. Its château, open to visitors all year, is one of the key stops on the Route des Grands Crus.
The wines
The Clos de Vougeot is red only, from Pinot Noir. Its 50 hectares slope gently from about 255 metres at the top, with thin gravelly soil on limestone, to deeper clay and silt at the bottom, so styles vary with each grower's plot. Outside the Clos, the small Vougeot appellation has four premiers crus and, unusually for the Côte de Nuits, makes white as well as red. Its white vines go back to the Cistercians.
History
The Abbey of Cîteaux, founded in 1098 on the plain to the east, received its first gifts of land here between about 1110 and 1115. Through purchases and exchanges the monks became sole owners of the enclosure, first recorded as a clos in 1212. They built a great cellar and a vat house with giant presses, and kept the Clos until the Revolution of 1789.
In 1551 Dom Jean Loisier, 48th abbot of Cîteaux, added a Renaissance residence to the working buildings, creating the château seen today. After the Revolution the property passed through private hands. In 1944 a society of friends of the château acquired it, and the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin has held its chapters and banquets here ever since. The château became a listed historic monument in 1949.
All the grands crusClos de Vougeot
Well-known premiers crusLe Clos Blanc · Les Petits Vougeots · Les Crâs · Clos de la Perrière
What to see
Château du Clos de Vougeot
See the monks' great cellar and vat house, with four giant presses, and the Renaissance château of 1551. It is open every day, with guided tours in English in season.
The walls of the Clos
Walk along the stone wall that still encloses the 50-hectare vineyard in a single block. The monks' enclosure was first recorded as a clos in 1212.
Cîteaux Abbey
The mother house of the Cistercian order, founded in 1098, lies about 15 to 20 minutes' drive east. Monks still live there; guided tours show 15th-century remains, and the shop sells their cheese.
Tips for your visit
Allow an hour for the château, a little more with a guided tour; visits can be shortened during private receptions. Vougeot sits between Chambolle-Musigny and Vosne-Romanée, so it fits easily into any Côte de Nuits day.
Around here
What to combine with Vougeot on the same day, nearest first.
Questions
Vougeot is about 27 min from Beaune by road (24 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €100 for the whole car, up to 4 guests.
Did you know? More than 80 growers share the Clos de Vougeot. Its 50 hectares form one walled block, but each grower works their own rows, which is why no two Clos de Vougeot wines taste the same.
Sources
Vougeot with a private driver
Half-day wine tour from Beaune: €290 for the car, up to 4 guests