By Julie Carpentier
“One hectare, thirty-six ares and ninety- six centiares in the part of the Clos de Vougeot known as Les Marets Hauts, adjoining to the north side Monsieur Alexandre Drouhin, to the south the widow Madame Noellat, and to the east a track. ”"
Deed of sale (extract) from the René Engel family's archives
A symbolic place of Burgundy winemaking, the Château du Clos de Vougeot and its enclosed vineyards, the property of Cîteaux Abbey, are intimately connected to the evolution of winemaking in the Côte de Nuits. After the French Revolution, the Church properties were sold off to the highest bidder, and the Château and the vines changed hands several times.
On March 1, 1920 René Engel acquired a parcel in the Clos de Vougeot, at the famous sale that broke up the property of Léonce Bocquet, a local benefactor, who died in 1913. The acquisition was of 1 hectare, 36 ares and 96 centiares, in the very highly regarded Marei (Maret) Haut section, halfway up the hillside. This parcel of gravelly clay and limestone soil, standing in the heart of the mythical Cistercian enclosure, located just below the Château, has illustrious neighbors, including Drouhin-Laroze and Bouchard.
It was from these very ancient vines that René, then Pierre and finally Philippe, in turn, produced the Grand Cru that is acknowledged as one of the best wines of the appellation. Domaine René Engel's Clos-Vougeot has a deep velvety character, enormous elegance, remarkable finesse and is bursting with fruit when young. When laid down, it develops a complex bouquet with notes of spices, blackcurrants and undergrowth, elegantly combined in a wine with a rounded tannic structure and remarkable aromatic persistence.
See you on Sunday 24th of April!
"Kipling#1" | A single-owner collection of Domaine René Engel wines
— Sunday April 24, 2022
— 2 pm
— livestreamed online auction
