Domaine Marquis d’Angerville’s Volnay Clos des Ducs 1er Cru: 1920 - 2017
BY STEPHEN TANZER |
If I were a wine producer, I’d like to have a steep, chalky premier cru vineyard in my own backyard, one whose roots could be traced back a millennium, just like the one Guillaume d’Angerville has. Since I live in Manhattan that scenario is unlikely; the closest I will probably get to Clos des Ducs heaven is an extraordinary tasting of 26 vintages of Domaine Marquis d’Angerville’s flagship wine, which I attended this past spring. The event was staged by Guillaume d’Angerville, who has directed the family property since 2003. The historic d’Angerville estate was one of the earliest domaine bottlers in Burgundy, and its wines have amassed a stellar track record inside and outside France since the 1930s. Since Guillaume d’Angerville took over, top grower Burgundies have been elevated in stature—and price—in the international auction market, and d’Angerville’s Clos des Ducs has ascended to the level of the top collectible wines of the Côte d’Or—with justification, as the tasting made clear.
View of Volnay from the top of Clos des Ducs
The History of the Estate
There have been vines in Volnay for a thousand years, but history heated up in the last years of the 15th century, when the Dukes of Burgundy, who had maintained a summer residence in Volnay, surrendered to the kings of France and Burgundy was absorbed into the kingdom of France. Naturally, the kings (Louis XII succeeded Charles VIII in 1498) wanted to know exactly what vineyards they owned in the various villages; the inventory was eventually codified in a huge book—called a terrier—written in old French and still held in the archives in Dijon.
When Louis XII sent a secretary to Volnay in 1507, plague was ravaging the village and the secretary didn’t dare enter. But a group of villagers provided him with a list of the kings’ holdings, including Taillepieds, Caillerets and Champans, as well as Clos des Ducs. For obvious reasons they did not use the word “Ducs” to name this walled vineyard, instead describing the parcel as being on the northern hill of the village, just below the tree line. They also noted that the parcel comprised 52 ouvrées, or about 2.15 hectares, which is its size today. The vineyard’s footprint has not changed for more than 500 years, and it can be assumed that this clos always had a single owner.
Guillaume d’Angerville makes one of the Côte de Beaune’s true icon wines from an ideally situated walled vineyard whose borders have not changed for at least 500 years. His methods are uncomplicated: fanatical attention to detail in the vineyard and in the winery. This vertical tasting made it clear that the Clos des Ducs is frequently a wine of grand cru intensity, aromatic complexity and staying power.
