Domaine de la Vougeraie, based in Premeaux just south of Nuits St Georges, was created in 1999 when Jean-Claude Boisset of the Boisset group decided to group together all the vineyard holdings of his various negociant companies acquired over the years. The name comes from the significant holdings – and indeed Jean-Claude Boisset’s home – in the village of Vougeot. The winery is located however in the old Claudine Deschamps (Madame Jean-Claude Boisset) cellars in Prémeaux. The Domaine was put together from the various vineyard holdings which had accrued through the Boisset acquisitions of Burgundian houses over the years. Pascal Marchand was put in charge in 1999, with Bernard Zito in the vineyards, which were farmed biodynamically. Pascal produced powerful wines, fairly heavily extracted in his early vintages but clearly was subsequently moving to a softer approach by 2004.
Located between Meursault and Chassagne-Montrachet, just above the village of Puligny, the two little plots are located on the slopes close by some of the most famous premier crus, and right alongside two grand crus. To obtain its wonderful balance, this wine marries these two climats that are vinified and aged separately before being blended into something sublime. The younger vines, which were planted in 2006, bring freshness. The remaining two-thirds of the vines, which were planted in 1956, provide the structure. This is a very floral and pure wine with a lovely smoothness on the tongue.
The blend now includes additional vines in Au Paupillot. Pale lime and lemon. Really engaging floral nose, a classic, with a strong lime note through the middle. Strict and tight, this Puligny has a steeliness that is lacking in many examples this year. Tasted: November 2020.
This too is firmly reduced though in this case, the underlying fruit does seem ripe. More interesting are the dense and intense medium-weight flavours that possess plenty of tension while the bone-dry, youthfully austere, and balanced finish flashes fine length for a villages level Puligny. This well-made effort is worth checking out.