Domaine Yvon Clerget
Pommard, Côte de Beaune, France
Thibaud Clerget
It is not often that the stars align and you come across the rebirth of a domaine with prime holdings and a talented young winemaker. Domaine Yvon Clerget and Thibaud Clerget are exactly that.
The Clerget family have been working their vineyards in the Côte de Beaune for generations but since Thibaud’s father’s retirement in 2009, have been selling off all of their fruit. Fresh off several vintages with Domaine Hudelot-Noellat and barely 30 years old, Thibaud Clerget chose 2015 to kick off his family's domaine bottling.
After 28 generations, Thibaud now manages the domaine’s 6 ha between Meursault, Vougeot, Pommard and Volnay.
“The reborn Domaine Y. Clerget could very well turn out to be one of the great recent success stories in Burgundy… Readers should do whatever they can to taste these wines. [Thibaud] Clerget is just 28 and appears to have a brilliant career in front of him. Bravo!”
— ANTONIO GALLONI, VINOUS
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Domaine Y. Clerget history begins in 1268 when the Clerget family settled in the village of Volnay. The main recorded history started in 1936, when the Clerget family acquired the Clos du Verseuil 1er Cru vineyard in Volnay as a Monopole. The domaine changed generations within the family over the years, until 1983 when Yvon Clerget took the lead as winemaker. However, when he was ready to retire in 2009, his son Thibaud was still to young so he sold grapes to Henri Boillot until Thibaud completed his studies and his internship in Domaine Hudelot-Noellat in 2015. Then with the vintage of 2015, Thibaud took the lead of his family domaine at the age of 24.
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The estate covers just under six hectares between Clos Vougeot and Meursault, with an impressive list of plots: Volnay, Volnay Santenot, Volnay Premier Cru Les Caillerets, Volnay Premier Cru Carelle sous la Chapelle, Volnay Premier Cru Clos du Verseuil, Grand Cru Clos de Vougeot and, my favorite, the Pommard Premier Cru Les Rugiens-Hauts.
In addition, some ouvrées of Meursault (white) are vinified.
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Since taking over the vines, Thibaud started ploughing all the vineyards and as a response to adapting to warmer vintages that have become the norm, he now trains the vines higher to improve the photosynthesis and keeps more leaf coverage to protect the grapes, Pinot Noir does not like the heat.
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Since his first vintage in 2015, Thibaud is using less extraction overall. He employed 50% whole cluster fermentation for the first time in 2017 with Clos Vougeot and has increasingly experimented with whole clusters in all his plots in subsequent vintages but it really depends from vintage to vintage.
Wines
Bourgogne Rouge
From two lieu dits: ‘Les Longbois’ (Volnay) and ‘Les Durots’ (Meursault).35+ year old vines. De-stemmed, indigenous yeast and aged in 2-3 year old barrels.
Volnay
1.09 hectares total in the lieux-dits of “Les Petits Gamets” and “En Echards” (just below 1er En Champans). Vines are on average, 45+ years old. 100% destemmed, aged in older barrels (2-3 years old).
Volnay 1er Cru Santenots
0.68 hectares in two plots, one with 50 year old vines, the other with 20 year, vinified together. 280 m altitude. 10% de-stemmed and aged in barrel (20% new).
Volnay 1er Cru Carelle Sous la Chapelle
“Carelle sous la Chappelle’ refers to the old chapel on the road at the bottom of the village. Thibaud maintains a 0.65 hectare plot with 45+ year old vines, southeast exposure, directly below 1er Cru Bousse d’Or. 100% de-stemmed, aged in barrel (20% new).
Volnay 1er Cru Clos du Verseuil monopole
0.68 hectares just next to Taillepieds, purchased in 1936. 2015 marks the triumphant return of this monopole after 6 years of the grapes being sold to Henri Boillot (bottled as Volnay village). Same North - South vine row orientation as Clos de Tart, Clos des Lambrays, La Tache, La Grand Rue, La Romanée, and Cros Parantoux! Aged in barrel (30% new).
Volnay 1er Cru Caillerets
Directly adjacent to 1er Cru Clos des Chenes with an east and southeast exposure. 0.37 ha plot of 50+ year old vines, grown on clay over heavier limestone and rock. Lots of millerandage. Aged in barrel (20% new)
Pommard 1er Cru Les Rugiens
Considered one of the top 1er Crus in Pommard. 1 ha split between two plots 2- upper (20 yrs) and lower (50 yrs). Soil is very rocky red soil due to high iron oxide content with limestone deposits close to the surface of the steep slope (320 m). 100% de-stemmed, native yeast aged in barrel (25% new).
Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
0.40 hectare parcel in the “Grand Maupertui” section, just below the wall that separates Grands-Echezeaux from the Clos Vougeot near the top section of the Clos, near the Chateau. Adjacent to Anne Gros and Méo Camuzet. 40+ year old vines. 50% whole cluster ferment with indigenous yeasts, 6 months élévage in new oak (30%), 6 months in neutral.
Meursault “Les Chevalières”
0.37 hectare parcel of 40 yr old vines in clay-limestone soils, adjacent to Meix Chavaux, Tesson, and Luchets. The wine is aged in 20% new oak and spends 4 months in stainless tank before being bottled. The first white wine of the estate.