'Clos' Calls

'Clos' Calls

Most vineyards in Burgundy are separated into patches of land called "clos" -- a word redolent of local history. The first evidence of vineyards in the region dates from 300 BC in Cluny. Centuries later, during the Holy Roman Empire, nobility often gave vineyards to the church. The monks tasted and analyzed the wines and recorded the nuances of the different plots of land. Detailed maps were drawn, indicating the temperatures and miniclimates of the plots. The term "clos" (an ancient word for climate) may derive from the name given these climates by the monks.

Here are a few top places to enjoy some clos calls.

Throughout the villages of the different côtes, wine tastings abound. Some we've imbibed at include Caveau Napoléon (12 rue Noisot. 03-80-52-45-48) in Fixin, which specializes in Côte de Nuits-Villages and a Fixin Premier Cru. Only 2 km (1 mi) south is Gevrey-Chambertin, where you can sample sparkling white Crémant de Bourgogne at Caveau du Chapître (1 rue de Paris. 03-80-51-82-82). Still a couple of miles farther south in the celebrated village of Vougeot, you will come upon the Grande Cave (R.N. 74. 03-80-62-87-13), which offers a trip through the cellars of the old castle of Vougeot and a chance to try a drop of wine from the barrels of the nearby Maison l'Hériter (Rue des Clos Prieurs. 03-80-62-86-58), a highly distinguished houses of the Côte de Nuits.