Skip to content

Vougeot Premier Cru

Vougeot Premier Cru wines are those produced under the strictest conditions of the Vougeot appellation, from grapes grown exclusively within officially classified premier cru vineyards.

A small commune in the Côte de Nuits sub-region of Burgundy, Vougeot has only four premier cru climats to its name (the average number for a Burgundy village is closer to 17). The reason for this low count is simply that most of the good vineyard space is taken up by one of Burgundy's largest grand cru sites, the Clos de Vougeot.

Vougeot's Premier Cru wines stand out in the Côte de Nuits because one-third of them are white wines made from Chardonnay. Every other commune in the region is almost entirely focused on red wine production, principally from Pinot Noir grapes, and none produces more than a handful of white wines (Vougeot's southern neighbours Vosne-Romanée and Flagey-Echezeaux are prime examples).

White wines have been produced in Vougeot for nearly a thousand years, so this exception is not the result of any temporary fashion or passing phase. The Cistercian monks who originally planted vines around the village made white wines here as far back as the early 12th century. The aptly named Clos Blanc site is the most notable source of Vougeot's Premier Cru white wines, and is sometimes referred to as a "diamond among rubies". The Les Cras Premier Cru climat also has some Chardonnay planted within its walls.

Vougeot's Premier Cru vineyards are conveniently delimited by the long, straight northern wall of the Clos de Vougeot, which runs almost perfectly east–west just to the south of Vougeot village. A few village-level vineyards sit on one side and the prestigious Le Musigny Grand Cru site on the other.

The shadow cast by the sheer size of the Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru site, coupled with the abundance of highly prized red wines in the surrounding area, means that Vougeot Premier Cru wines are largely overlooked.

This collection is empty

View all products